Zika Researchers Work to Crack Virus’s Genetic Secrets

As Zika continues its rapid spread across the Americas and into the U.S., scientists like Dr. Nunes are racing to answer a puzzling question: Is the virus evolving in ways that make it more dangerous?

Several studies suggest Zika's genome—its repertoire of genes—is relatively stable, but there is some early evidence that certain genes may be changing—in some cases in ways that could, in theory, help it to replicate more efficiently once inside human cells, prompting researchers to seek more data.