Researchers find potential Zika cure

A molecule previously used as an antibiotic could be key in combating the effects of the Zika virus, according to new research from a Spanish university.

The San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia announced Saturday that researchers from its Bioinformatics and High-Performance Computing research group discovered that the 'novobiocin' compound in a now defunct antibiotic countered the symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease.

"It's a drug that had been withdrawn from the market because it lost its potency as an antibiotic, but we know it can be administered to humans," said Jose Pedro Cerón, a member of the research team, reported RTVE.

The antibiotic in question had been previously prescribed to fend off infections acquired inside a hospital.

The molecular structure of proteins involved in the Zika virus' replication process was first discovered...