The Brazilian Zika virus strain causes birth defects in experimental models

AbstractThe global emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) revealed the unprecedented ability for a mosquito-borne virus to cause congenital birth defects. A puzzling aspect of ZIKV emergence is that all human outbreaks and birth defects to date have been exclusively associated with the Asian ZIKV lineage, despite a growing body of laboratory evidence pointing towards higher transmissibility and pathogenicity of the African ZIKV lineage. Whether this apparent paradox reflects the use of relatively old African ZIKV strains in most laboratory studies is unclear. Here, we experimentally compare seven low-passage ZIKV strains representing the recently circulating viral genetic diversity. We find that recent African ZIKV strains display higher transmissibility in mosquitoes and higher lethality in both adult and fetal mice than their Asian counterparts. We emphasize the high epidemic potential of African ZIKV strains and suggest that they could more easily go unnoticed by public health surveillance systems than Asian strains due to their propensity to cause fetal loss rather than birth defects.

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South-east Asian Zika virus strain linked to cluster of cases in Singapore, August 2016

Eurosurveillance ◽

10.2807/1560-7917.es.2016.21.38.30347 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (38) ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Sebastian Maurer-Stroh ◽

Tze-Minn Mak ◽

Yi-Kai Ng ◽

Shiau-Pheng Phuah ◽

Roland G Huber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Virus Strain ◽

Zika Virus ◽

East Asian ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

First Case ◽

Large Outbreak

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an ongoing global public health emergency with 70 countries and territories reporting evidence of ZIKV transmission since 2015. On 27 August 2016, Singapore reported its first case of local ZIKV transmission and identified an ongoing cluster. Here, we report the genome sequences of ZIKV strains from two cases and find through phylogenetic analysis that these strains form an earlier branch distinct from the recent large outbreak in the Americas.

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Zika viruses of both African and Asian lineages cause fetal harm in a vertical transmission model

10.1101/387118 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anna S. Jaeger ◽

Reyes A. Murreita ◽

Lea R. Goren ◽

Chelsea M. Crooks ◽

Ryan V. Moriarty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mouse Model ◽

Vertical Transmission ◽

Birth Defects ◽

Asian American ◽

Zika Virus ◽

French Polynesia ◽

Transmission Model ◽

Foreseeable Future ◽

Zikv Infection ◽

Congenital Zika Syndrome

AbstractCongenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was first linked to birth defects during the American outbreak 1–3. It has been proposed that mutations unique to the Asian/American-genotype explain, at least in part, the ability of Asian/American ZIKV to cause congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) 4,5. Recent studies identified mutations in ZIKV infecting humans that arose coincident with the outbreak in French Polynesia and were stably maintained during subsequent spread to the Americas 5. Here we show that African ZIKV can infect and harm fetuses and that the S139N mutation that has been associated with the American outbreak is not essential for fetal harm. Our findings, in a vertical transmission mouse model, suggest that ZIKV will remain a threat to pregnant women for the foreseeable future, including in Africa, southeast Asia, and the Americas. Additional research is needed to better understand the risks associated with ZIKV infection during pregnancy, both in areas where the virus is newly endemic and where it has been circulating for decades.

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Zika virus: A newly emergent vector-borne public health threat in the Americas

10.7287/peerj.preprints.1781v1 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sujit Pujhari ◽

Jason L. Rasgon

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Birth Defects ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Human Population ◽

Focused Attention ◽

New Disease ◽

Conspiracy Theories ◽

Transmission Cycle ◽

Public Health Threat ◽

Vector Borne

Zika virus is a newly emergent mosquito-borne flavivirus. Once almost ignored epidemiologically, recent major outbreaks and links to neurological birth defects have focused attention on this neglected pathogen. We review the discovery, biology and symptomatology of Zika virus, what is known and not known about the mosquitoes that transmit the virus, conspiracy theories currently hampering control efforts, and potential avenues of Zika control. It is likely that Zika virus is here to stay in the Americas, so a thorough understanding of the complete epidemiological transmission cycle and potential effects on the human population will be critical for managing this new disease in the coming years.

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Asymptomatic Prenatal Zika Virus Infection and Congenital Zika Syndrome

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofy073 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Enny S Paixao ◽

Wei-Yee Leong ◽

Laura C Rodrigues ◽

Annelies Wilder-Smith

Keyword(s):

Virus Infection ◽

Birth Defects ◽

Prospective Studies ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Retrospective Studies ◽

Recall Bias ◽

Virus Infections ◽

Fetal Outcomes ◽

Zika Virus Infection ◽

Congenital Zika Syndrome

Abstract To investigate to what extent asymptomatic vs symptomatic prenatal Zika virus infections contribute to birth defects, we identified 3 prospective and 8 retrospective studies. The ratio varied greatly in the retrospective studies, most likely due to recruitment and recall bias. The prospective studies revealed a ratio of 1:1 for asymptomatic vs symptomatic maternal Zika infections resulting in adverse fetal outcomes.

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Whole-Genome Sequences of Zika Virus FLR Strains after Passage in Vero or C6/36 Cells

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.01528-17 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lindsey A. Moser ◽

Lauren M. Oldfield ◽

Nadia Fedorova ◽

Vinita Puri ◽

Susmita Shrivastava ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vero Cell ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Virus Strain ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Genome Sequences ◽

Complete Genomes ◽

Vero Cell Lines

ABSTRACT We report 26 complete genomes of Zika virus (ZIKV) isolated after passaging the Zika virus strain FLR in mosquito (C6/36) and mammalian (Vero) cell lines. The consensus ZIKV genomes we recovered show greater than 99% nucleotide identify with each other and with the FLR strain used as input.

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Vital Signs: Update on Zika Virus–Associated Birth Defects and Evaluation of All U.S. Infants with Congenital Zika Virus Exposure — U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry, 2016

MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ◽

10.15585/mmwr.mm6613e1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 66 (13) ◽

pp. 366-373 ◽

Cited By ~ 157

Author(s):

Megan R. Reynolds ◽

Abbey M. Jones ◽

Emily E. Petersen ◽

Ellen H. Lee ◽

Marion E. Rice ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Defects ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Vital Signs ◽

Virus Exposure ◽

Pregnancy Registry

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Detection and discrimination of multiple strains of Zika virus by reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Tropical Medicine and Health ◽

10.1186/s41182-020-00274-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hiroka Aonuma ◽

Itoe Iizuka-Shiota ◽

Tokio Hoshina ◽

Shigeru Tajima ◽

Fumihiro Kato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virus Strain ◽

Reverse Transcription ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Isothermal Amplification ◽

Lamp Method ◽

Simple Method ◽

Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification ◽

Specificity And Sensitivity ◽

Virus Strains

Abstract Background Monitoring both invasion of Zika virus disease into free countries and circulation in endemic countries is essential to avoid a global pandemic. However, the difficulty lies in detecting Zika virus due to the large variety of mutations in its genomic sequence. To develop a rapid and simple method with high accuracy, reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) was adopted for the detection of Zika virus strains derived from several countries. Results Common primers for RT-LAMP were designed based on the genomic sequences of two standard Zika strains: African lineage, MR-766, and Asian lineage, PRVABC59. RT-LAMP reactions using a screened primer set, targeting the NS3 region, detected both Zika virus strains. The minimum detectable quantity was 3 × 10−2 ng of virus RNA. Measurable lag of reaction times among strains was observed. The RT-LAMP method amplified the target virus sequence from the urine and serum of a patient with a travel history in the Caribbean Islands and also provided a prediction about which lineage of Zika virus strain was present. Conclusions The RT-LAMP method using a well-optimized primer set demonstrated high specificity and sensitivity for the detection of Zika virus strains with a variety in genomic RNA sequences. In combination with the simplicity of LAMP reaction in isothermal conditions, the optimized primer set established in this study may facilitate rapid and accurate diagnosis of Zika fever patients with virus strain information.

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siRNA Design to Silence the 3′UTR Region of Zika Virus

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2020/6759346 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

María Perez-Mendez ◽

Paola Zárate-Segura ◽

Juan Salas-Benito ◽

Fernando Bastida-González

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Blood Transfusion ◽

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Cell Line ◽

Birth Defects ◽

Zika Virus ◽

In Silico ◽

Small Interfering Rnas ◽

Medical Problems ◽

Sirna Design

The disease caused by the Zika virus (ZIKV) has positioned itself as one of the main public health problems in Mexico. One of the main reasons is it causes microcephaly and other birth defects. The transmission of ZIKV is through Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, which are found in a larger space of the national territory. In addition, it can also be transmitted via blood transfusion, sexual relations, and maternal-fetal route. So far, there are no vaccines or specific treatments to deal with this infection. Currently, some new therapeutics such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are able to regulate or suppress transcription in viruses. Therefore, in this project, an in silico siRNA was designed for the 3′UTR region of ZIKV via bioinformatics tools. The designed siRNA was synthesized and transfected into the C6/36 cell line, previously infected with ZIKV in order to assess the ability of the siRNA to inhibit viral replication. The designed siRNA was able to inhibit significantly (p<0.05) ZIKV replication; this siRNA could be considered a potential therapeutic towards the disease that causes ZIKV and the medical problems generated.

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Complete Genome Sequence of a Zika Virus Strain Isolated from the Serum of an Infected Patient in Thailand in 2006

Genome Announcements ◽

10.1128/genomea.00121-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Narong Nitatpattana ◽

Kumchol Chaiyo ◽

Supoth Rajakam ◽

Kanya Poolam ◽

Kusuma Chansiprasert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Virus Strain ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Complete Genome Sequence ◽

Complete Genome ◽

Infected Patient ◽

Vero Cells ◽

Asian Lineage

ABSTRACT The complete genome of Zika virus (ZIKV) strain CVD_06-274 was isolated from the serum of an infected patient in Thailand in 2006. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this strain belongs to the Asian lineage and also high titers in Vero cells (RCB 10-87). It has potential for development as an inactivated ZIKV vaccine.

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