Brazilian health authority was confident that mosquito-borne Zika virus is causing microcephaly, but many International health experts said there could be other reasons for the condition in which a baby takes birth with a small head and an underdeveloped brain.

Now, new studies from two continents have suggested a link between microcephaly and Zika. They have revealed how the pathogen affects brain development of a baby and triggers complications during pregnancy.

The first study was conducted by researchers from the United States who claimed to identify how the virus leads to microcephaly, which has affected hundreds of babies in Brazil during the last few months.

The second study included researchers from the US and Brazil who examined 88 pregnant Brazilian women. They found clues indicating that Zika virus is the main culprit behind birth defects.

As per some early reports, the Zika virus causes a few minor illnesses in most people, but the latest findings published in the Cell journal Stem Cell reinforced an increasing consensus that the mosquito-borne virus may have tragic consequences for pregnant women and their babies.

“It strengthens the case that Zika is a culprit behind microcephaly. It’s a very important piece in the puzzle”, said Joseph Gleeson from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Gleeson was not part of any of the latest studies.

Researchers conducting studies on Zika virus and microcephaly have found traces in the brain of newborn who died due to the rare birth defect. But, they have no idea how it can be slowed or halted.

The new findings don’t conclude that Zika virus causes microcephaly, but they are strengthening the link, as per Guo-li Ming, a neurologist from the Johns Hopkins University and lead author of the study.