Zika virus nanotubes (IMAGE) Penn State Caption Researchers found that Zika virus induces cells to create connections, called tunneling nanotubes, that may enable the virus to replicate and spread from mother to fetus. Credit Joyce Jose, Penn State Usage Restrictions Educational use only License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.