Two twins, one with microcephaly due to Zika infection

Scientists are struggling to unravel the mystery of Brazilian twins born with a birth defect called microcephaly caused by the Zika virus.

According to Reuters, twins Lucas andLaura was born in November 2015 in Brazil. MotherJaqueline Jessica Silva de Oliveira showed symptoms of Zika early in her pregnancy. An ultrasound later revealed that one of her two unborn babies could be born with microcephaly."When the doctor told me that one of the two children would have microcephaly, everything fell apart under my feet. Throughout my pregnancy, I just hoped that it was a misdiagnosis from the doctor," the 25-year-old mother confided.

The day of delivery came, the mother gave birth to two healthy babies, a boy and a girl. Just as the doctor had diagnosed, cHer son Lucas is healthy, while her twin Laura has a head that is much smaller than normal. She was diagnosed with microcephaly and required neurological and physical therapy.

Twins Lucas and Laura. Photo: Reuters.

"My family is very poor but I always thank God for bringing my child into my life. I will never"I'm giving up on her now," Oliveira said. She also doesn't understand why only one child was born with microcephaly. Perhaps researchers need to get involved.

According to experts, cases of twins with only one baby having a disease, such as diabetes or congenital arthritis, are being widely studied. Medical research is focusing on the link between the environment and genetic problems.

Lucas and Laura are among five cases of Zika-infected twins being studied by scientists in Sao Paulo. Brazil has so far recorded nearly 5,000 cases of microcephaly linked to the Zika virus. The Zika epidemic has affected large areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil being the most affected.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has officially confirmed that Zika virus infection in pregnant women is a cause of microcephaly and other serious brain abnormalities in newborns.

Recent studies have shown evidence that Zika virus is present in amniotic fluid, placenta and fetal brain tissue. Experts believe that one twin’s placenta may have absorbed Zika while the other did not, preventing the virus from infecting the fetus. Another possibility is that the virus entered both placentas but one fetus’s nerve cells resisted it.A third hypothesis being put forward is that certain genes in children may make them more susceptible to microcephaly by making them more susceptible to the Zika virus.

Mayana Zatz, director of the Center for Genetic Researchfrom the University of Sao Paulosaid: "Hopefully this research willmay hold clues to the nature of the disease, explaining why only one in two newborns is affected. Hopefully, research results will be available soon."

According to VNE