Women at greater risk for Zika infection due to suppressed vaginal immune response

(Gladstone Institutes) Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes discovered that the vaginal immune system is suppressed in response to RNA viruses, such as Zika. The delayed antiviral immune response allows the virus to remain undetected in the vagina, which can increase the risk of fetal infection during pregnancy. The new finding suggests that, when transmitted sexually, women are both more susceptible to contracting RNA viruses and have a harder time clearing the infection from their systems.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2fVd87c