Current status of vaccines against Zika virus

The recently emerged Zika virus (ZIKV) spread to the Americas, causing a spectrum of congenital diseases including microcephaly in newborn and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in adults. The unprecedented nature of the epidemic and serious diseases associated with the viral infections prompted the global research community to understand the immunopathogenic mechanisms of the virus and rapidly develop safe and efficacious vaccines. This has led to a number of ZIKV vaccine candidates that have shown significant promise in human clinical trials. These candidates include nucleic acid vaccines, inactivated vaccines, viral-vectored vaccines, and attenuated vaccines. Additionally, a number of vaccine candidates have been shown to protect animals in preclinical studies. However, as the epidemic has waned in the last three years, further development of the most promising vaccine candidates faces challenges in clinical efficacy trials, which is needed before a vaccine is brought to licensure. It is important that a coalition of government funding agencies and private sector companies is established to move forward with a safe and effective vaccine ready for deployment when the next ZIKV epidemic occurs.

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Zika Virus: Current Status, Protective Vaccine Trials, and Antiviral Treatment Alternatives

Türk Mikrobiyoloji Cemiyeti Dergisi ◽

10.5222/tmcd.2017.097 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Fatih ŞAHİNER ◽

Kemal TEKİN ◽

Ramazan GÜMRAL

Keyword(s):

Zika Virus ◽

Antiviral Treatment ◽

Current Status ◽

Vaccine Trials ◽

Treatment Alternatives

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Development of vaccines against the sexually transmitted infections gonorrhoea, syphilis, Chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, human immunodeficiency virus and Zika virus

Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy ◽

10.1177/2515135520923887 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 251513552092388

Author(s):

Edwin David G. McIntosh

Keyword(s):

Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Herpes Simplex Virus ◽

Herpes Simplex ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Current Status ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Simplex Virus

The success in preventing hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus infections by means of vaccination paves the way for the development of other vaccines to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, human immunodeficiency virus and Zika virus. The current status of vaccine development for these infections will be explored in this review. The general principles for success include the need for prevention of latency, persistence and repeat infections. A reduction in transmission of STIs would reduce the global burden of disease. Therapeutic activity of vaccines against STIs would be advantageous over preventative activity alone, and prevention of congenital and neonatal infections would be an added benefit. There would be an added value in the prevention of long-term consequences of STIs. It may be possible to re-purpose ‘old’ vaccines for new indications. One of the major challenges is the determination of the target populations for STI vaccination.

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The current status of Zika virus in Southeast Asia

Epidemiology and Health ◽

10.4178/epih.e2016026 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. e2016026 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Viroj Wiwanitkit

Keyword(s):

Southeast Asia ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Current Status

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Current status of therapeutic and vaccine approaches against Zika virus

European Journal of Internal Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.ejim.2017.08.001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 12-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Braira Wahid ◽

Amjad Ali ◽

Shazia Rafique ◽

Muhammad Idrees

Keyword(s):

Zika Virus ◽

Current Status

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Overview on the Current Status of Zika Virus Pathogenesis and Animal Related Research

Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology ◽

10.1007/s11481-017-9743-8 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 371-388 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Shashank S. Pawitwar ◽

Supurna Dhar ◽

Sneham Tiwari ◽

Chet Raj Ojha ◽

Jessica Lapierre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Zika Virus ◽

Current Status ◽

Related Research

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ZIKA VIRUS: REVIEW OF CURRENT STATUS

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research ◽

10.22159/ajpcr.2018.v11i7.25377 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 30

Author(s):

Koppala Rvs Chaitanya ◽

Venna R Surya Anusha

Keyword(s):

Vertical Transmission ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Historical Background ◽

World Health ◽

Current Status ◽

Potential Threat ◽

Background Structure ◽

The World ◽

Congenital Zika Syndrome ◽

Health Organization

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus which startled the world with its tremendous outbreaks in Africa, America, Asia, and Pacific region. Although the symptoms are mild such as fever and headache, its complications are severe in newborn: Guillain-Barre Syndrome and congenital Zika syndrome including microcephaly. Its ability to transmit through vector and non-vector means especially vertical transmission made it a potential threat. The World Health Organization with the support of other organizations implemented several programs to eradicate the spread of the virus. Development of a vaccine for ZIKV is still under clinical trials. An anti-hepatitis C drug was repurposed for treating infected persons especially pregnant women to limit vertical transmission of ZIKV. This review focuses on the historical background, structure, phylogeny, transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of ZIKV along with strategies planned for control and monitoring of ZIKV.

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Hide and Seek: The Interplay Between Zika Virus and the Host Immune Response

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2021.750365 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Lim Jack Lee ◽

Thamil Vaani Komarasamy ◽

Nur Amelia Azreen Adnan ◽

William James ◽

Vinod RMT Balasubramaniam

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Large Scale ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Sexual Transmission ◽

Adaptive Immune Response ◽

Host Immune Response ◽

Interferon Response ◽

Current Status ◽

Successful Infection

Zika virus (ZIKV) received worldwide attention over the past decade when outbreaks of the disease were found to be associated with severe neurological syndromes and congenital abnormalities. Unlike most other flaviviruses, ZIKV can spread through sexual and transplacental transmission, adding to the complexity of Zika pathogenesis and clinical outcomes. In addition, the spread of ZIKV in flavivirus-endemic regions, and the high degree of structural and sequence homology between Zika and its close cousin Dengue have raised questions on the interplay between ZIKV and the pre-existing immunity to other flaviviruses and the potential immunopathogenesis. The Zika epidemic peaked in 2016 and has affected over 80 countries worldwide. The re-emergence of large-scale outbreaks in the future is certainly a possibility. To date, there has been no approved antiviral or vaccine against the ZIKV. Therefore, continuing Zika research and developing an effective antiviral and vaccine is essential to prepare the world for a future Zika epidemic. For this purpose, an in-depth understanding of ZIKV interaction with many different pathways in the human host and how it exploits the host immune response is required. For successful infection, the virus has developed elaborate mechanisms to escape the host response, including blocking host interferon response and shutdown of certain host cell translation. This review provides a summary on the key host factors that facilitate ZIKV entry and replication and the mechanisms by which ZIKV antagonizes antiviral innate immune response and involvement of adaptive immune response leading to immunopathology. We also discuss how ZIKV modulates the host immune response during sexual transmission and pregnancy to induce infection, how the cross-reactive immunity from other flaviviruses impacts ZIKV infection, and provide an update on the current status of ZIKV vaccine development.

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