Infection by the Zika virus diverts a key protein necessary for neural cell division in the developing human fetus, thereby causing the birth defect microcephaly, a team of Yale scientists reported Aug. 24 in the journal Cell Reports. The findings suggest that Zika virus might be susceptible to existing antiviral drugs that may prevent disruption to the developing nervous system, said the researchers. One of the frightening side-effects of Zika virus infection in pregnant women is the risk of fetal microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small brains. The multidisciplinary collaboration of Yale scientists revealed that Zika virus kills stem cells in the brain and disrupts the process