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Researchers have found that Zika virus can live in eyes and have identified genetic material from the virus in tears, according to a mouse study released last Tuesday.
根据上周二发布的一项小鼠实验，研究人员已发现寨卡病毒可在眼部存活，并在眼泪中发现了寨卡病毒的遗传物质。
The study, published the U.S. journal Cell Reports, may help explain why some Zika patients develop eye disease and suggests that contact with infected eyes may play a role in spreading the disease.
这项发布在美国期刊《细胞报告》上的研究，可能有助于解释为什么部分寨卡患者罹患眼疾。
"Our study suggests that the eye could be a reservoir for Zika virus," said Michael Diamond, professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and one of the study's senior authors.
该研究的高级作者之一、圣路易斯华盛顿大学医学院的教授迈克尔·戴蒙德表示："我们的研究表明，眼睛可能是寨卡病毒的储主。"
"We need to consider whether people with Zika have infectious virus in their eyes and how long it actually persists."
"我们需要了解寨卡患者的眼部是否存在传染性病毒以及病毒实际可存活多久。"
Zika virus causes mild disease in most adults but can cause brain damage and death in fetuses.
寨卡病毒在大多数成年人会引起轻微的疾病，但却可以导致胎儿的脑损伤和死亡。
About a third of all babies infected in utero with Zika show eye disease such as inflammation of the optic nerve, retinal damage or blindness after birth.
在子宫中感染寨卡病毒的婴儿，大约有三分之一出现了眼部疾病，如视神经发炎、视网膜受损或失明的征状。
In the new study, the researchers infected adult mice under the skin, similar to the way humans are infected by mosquitoes, and found live virus in the eyes seven days later. That means that Zika is able to travel to the eye.
在这项新研究中，科学家为模仿蚊子叮咬而在老鼠皮下注射寨卡病毒，七天后他们发现老鼠的眼睛里有寨卡病毒。这意味着寨卡病毒可以到达眼睛中。
"Even though we didn't find live virus in mouse tears, that doesn't mean that it couldn't be infectious in humans," said Jonathan Miner, the study's lead author.
该研究的第一作者乔纳森·迈纳表示："虽然我们未在老鼠眼泪中发现活病毒，但这不表示它对人类无传染性。"
