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In the blood of a patient infected with Zika, researchers have found key proteins that could help them create medicines and vaccines to fight the rapidly spreading virus. A study published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine describes two antibodies that were able to “eliminate” samples of the Zika virus when tested in laboratory dishes. When the researchers gave either of the antibodies to mice that had been deliberately infected with Zika, the animals “were completely protected against ZIKV infection,” according to the study. (Healy, 12/14)

Among women who had symptoms or were exposed in the first trimester, 11 percent had fetuses or infants with birth defects. There were no reports of birth defects in fetuses of infants with exposure only in the second or third trimester. The study used laboratory tests to tell if the mother, fetus or baby had at some point been infected with Zika or similar viruses. But the tests couldn't necessarily tell which virus, or when. Four percent of the babies or fetuses had microcephaly, a devastating abnormality that causes very small heads and brain damage. (Stein, 12/14)

The chances of delivering a baby with a birth defect are about one in 16 for mothers infected with Zika while pregnant, according to a new report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association using preliminary data from the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry. (Chang and Pugh, 12/14)

A series of studies released Wednesday shed a preliminary light on the Zika virus’ consequences for children infected in the womb. But, experts said, the findings also highlight additional challenges: identifying affected babies and making sure they receive needed follow-up care as they grow. That task could prove complicated, especially as new data emphasizes the virus may cause more damage than previously thought. (Luthra, 12/14)

Federal health officials warned pregnant women on Wednesday to avoid visiting Brownsville, Tex., because of the threat of infection with the Zika virus. At least five cases of Zika transmitted by local mosquitoes have been reported in the last few weeks, and temperatures are still high enough for mosquitoes to thrive, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (McNeil, 12/14)

Federal health officials on Wednesday urged pregnant women to consider postponing travel to Brownsville, Tex., because of five local cases of Zika virus infection that have been reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent an advisory to clinicians in its health alert network saying that the CDC is designating Brownsville, on the border with Mexico, a Zika cautionary area for testing and travel guidance. (Sun, 12/14)

Pregnant women should avoid the Brownsville area if they can and guard against mosquito bites if they can't, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday, citing an increased risk of contracting the Zika virus there. (Evans, 12/14)

It's a cold, damp fall day in London. But in a windowless basement laboratory, it feels like the tropics. It's hot and humid. That's to keep the mosquitoes happy. "In this cage, we have the adult mosquitoes," says Andrew Hammond, a genetic engineer at Imperial College London, as he picks up a container made out of white mosquito netting. ... Scientists have altered mosquitoes' genes before. But these insects aren't just any genetically engineered mosquitoes. (Stein, 12/14)