Scientists have captured the clearest and most detailed image yet of Zika, the virus that set off a global health crisis in 2015 and 2016 and left thousands of babies with serious birth defects. The work could contribute to the development of more effective vaccines and treatments to combat the virus.

The research, published Tuesday in the journal Structure, combined tens of thousands of two-dimensional images to construct a three-dimensional model of the virus’s structure.

The team used electron microscopy, a technique that sends beams of electrons through a particle, projecting an image. The wavelengths of electrons — much shorter than that of light — are roughly the same as the distance between atoms, so scientists are able to perceive minute details.

“Previous studies didn’t hit this level of granularity,” said Dr. Peter Katona, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study.