scholarly journals Zika virus: a new pandemic threat

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (03) ◽  
pp. 201-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Ali Al-Qahtani ◽  
Nyla Nazir ◽  
Mashael R. Al-Anazi ◽  
Salvatore Rubino ◽  
Mohammed N. Al-Ahdal
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Blood Donation ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Screening And Identification ◽  
Pandemic Threat ◽  
Contaminated Blood

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family and is related to dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. ZIKV was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. Different species of mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly A. aegypti and A. albopictus are the vectors responsible for ZIKV infection in humans. It is also reported that ZIKV is transmitted congenitally, sexually, and through blood donation. Until recently, ZIKV outbreaks were sporadic and self-limiting. The first large epidemic was reported from Yap Island in 2007 followed by an outbreak of Zika fever in French Polynesia in 2013. Brazil is the epicenter of the current ZIKV epidemic which is rapidly spreading across the Americas. ZIKV infection remained relatively less studied in view of its low case numbers, and low clinical impact relative to other arboviruses. However, all this is set to change with its rapid spread in the Western hemisphere and suspected complications particularly microcephaly in newborn babies with ZIKV infected mothers. ZIKV is expected to substantially add to both short-term and long-term economic burden of the effected countries. Due to the large number of people travelling across the borders and some reported cases of transmission of ZIKV via contaminated blood, screening and identification of asymptomatic infected individuals are important.

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

2018 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Zika Virus: Diagnostics for an Emerging Pandemic Threat

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 860-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse J. Waggoner ◽  
Benjamin A. Pinsky
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Chikungunya Virus ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
Virus Diagnostics ◽  
Pandemic Threat

Zika virus (ZIKV) is anAedesmosquito-borne flavivirus that emerged in Brazil in 2015 and then rapidly spread throughout the tropical and subtropical Americas. Based on clinical criteria alone, ZIKV cannot be reliably distinguished from infections with other pathogens that cause an undifferentiated systemic febrile illness, including infections with two common arboviruses, dengue virus and chikungunya virus. This minireview details the methods that are available to diagnose ZIKV infection.

scholarly journals Impact of Zika Virus Infection on Human Neural Stem Cell MicroRNA Signatures

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1219
Author(s):  
Denna Tabari ◽  
Catharina Scholl ◽  
Michael Steffens ◽  
Sandra Weickhardt ◽  
Fabian Elgner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Host Responses ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Regulate Gene Expression ◽  
Mediate Cell ◽  
And Oxidative Stress ◽  
Mrna Transcriptome

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus, which can cause brain abnormalities in newborns, including microcephaly. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, which post- transcriptionally regulate gene expression. They are involved in various processes including neurological development and host responses to viral infection, but their potential role in ZIKV pathogenesis remains poorly understood. MiRNAs can be incorporated into extracellular vesicles (EVs) and mediate cell-to-cell communication. While it is well known that in viral infections EVs carrying miRNAs can play a crucial role in disease pathogenesis, ZIKV effects on EV-delivered miRNAs and their contribution to ZIKV pathogenesis have not been elucidated. In the present study, we profiled intracellular and EV-derived miRNAs by next generation sequencing and analyzed the host mRNA transcriptome of neural stem cells during infection with ZIKV Uganda and French Polynesia strains. We identified numerous miRNAs, including miR-4792, which were dysregulated at the intracellular level and had altered levels in EVs during ZIKV infection. Integrated analyses of differentially expressed genes and miRNAs showed that ZIKV infection had an impact on processes associated with neurodevelopment and oxidative stress. Our results provide insights into the roles of intracellular and EV-associated host miRNAs in ZIKV pathogenesis.

Zika Virus Infection in the Elderly: Possible Relationship with Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Gerontology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Savino ◽  
Carolina V. Messias ◽  
Daniella A. Mendes-da-Cruz ◽  
Pamela Passos ◽  
Ana Carolina A.F. Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Guillain Barre Syndrome ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Susceptible Population ◽  
Guillain Barré Syndrome ◽  
Guillain Barré

The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in French Polynesia, in 2013, and in Brazil, in 2015, was correlated with neurological complications, which comprised, among others, congenital microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which includes a group of acute autoimmune neuropathies generally reported after respiratory or gastrointestinal infectious diseases. Despite being relatively rare, the incidence rate of GBS rises with age, which makes GBS more frequent in the elderly, in whom it is also a more severe disease with slower recovery than in younger patients. Different forms of GBS have been described having diagnostic confirmation of a previous infection with the ZIKV virus. Although we do not have enough evidence that elderly people are a particularly susceptible population to developing GBS following ZIKV infection, this is plausible. We should consider this possibility, particularly taking into account that aging subjects are more susceptible to infections. In this context, a deeper understanding of how the immune system in the elderly functions in relation to ZIKV infection is necessary, as well as an understanding of what kind of alterations of the nervous system such an infection triggers in the elderly, beyond GBS. This will be relevant for better therapeutic interventions and for designing vaccine candidates that can be applied in an aging population, particularly those prone to develop ZIKV-induced autoimmunity.

scholarly journals Zika Virus: New Clinical Syndromes and Its Emergence in the Western Hemisphere

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (10) ◽  
pp. 4864-4875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen M. Lazear ◽  
Michael S. Diamond
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Clinical Complications ◽  
Clinical Syndromes ◽  
Potential Interactions

Zika virus (ZIKV) had remained a relatively obscure flavivirus until a recent series of outbreaks accompanied by unexpectedly severe clinical complications brought this virus into the spotlight as causing an infection of global public health concern. In this review, we discuss the history and epidemiology of ZIKV infection, recent outbreaks in Oceania and the emergence of ZIKV in the Western Hemisphere, newly ascribed complications of ZIKV infection, including Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly, potential interactions between ZIKV and dengue virus, and the prospects for the development of antiviral agents and vaccines.

scholarly journals Recombinant Zika Virus Subunits Are Immunogenic and Efficacious in Mice

mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert To ◽  
Liana O. Medina ◽  
Kenji O. Mfuh ◽  
Michael M. Lieberman ◽  
Teri Ann S. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Vaccine Candidate ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Protein Vaccine ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Excellent Safety Profile ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Specific Antiviral Therapy

The recent outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in French Polynesia, the Caribbean, and the Americas have highlighted the severe neuropathological sequelae that such an infection may cause. The development of a safe, effective ZIKV vaccine is critical for several reasons: (i) the difficulty in diagnosing an active infection due to common nonspecific symptoms, (ii) the lack of a specific antiviral therapy, and (iii) the potentially devastating pathological effects ofin uteroinfection. Moreover, a vaccine with an excellent safety profile, such as a nonreplicating, noninfectious vaccine, would be ideal for high-risk people (e.g., pregnant women, immunocompromised patients, and elderly individuals). This report describes the development of a recombinant subunit protein vaccine candidate derived from stably transformed insect cells expressing the ZIKV envelope proteinin vitro, the primary antigen to which effective virus-neutralizing antibodies are engendered by immunized animals for several other flaviviruses; the vaccine candidate elicits effective virus-neutralizing antibodies against ZIKV and provides protection against ZIKV infection in mice.

scholarly journals Risk estimates for microcephaly related to Zika virus infection - from French Polynesia to Bahia, Brazil

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Johansson ◽  
Luis Mier-y-Teran-Romero ◽  
Jennita Reefhuis ◽  
Suzanne M Gilboa ◽  
Susan L Hills
Keyword(s):  
Virus Infection ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Infection Rate ◽  
Birth Defects ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Risk Estimates ◽  
First Trimester Of Pregnancy

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy has been linked to birth defects,1 yet the magnitude of risk remains uncertain. A study of the Zika outbreak in French Polynesia estimated that the risk of microcephaly due to ZIKV infection in the first trimester of pregnancy was 0.95% (95% confidence interval: 0.34-1.91%), based on eight microcephaly cases identified retrospectively in a population of approximately 270,000 people with an estimated 66% ZIKV infection rate.2

scholarly journals Host-Directed Antivirals: a Realistic Alternative to Fight Zika Virus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan-Carlos Saiz ◽  
Nereida Jiménez de Oya ◽  
Ana-Belén Blázquez ◽  
Estela Escribano-Romero ◽  
Miguel A. Martín-Acebes
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Antiviral Activity ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Structural Proteins ◽  
Great Effort ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Viral Components ◽  
Specific Antiviral Therapy

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, was an almost neglected pathogen until its introduction in the Americas in 2015, where it has been responsible for a threat to global health, causing a great social and sanitary alarm due to its increased virulence, rapid spread, and an association with severe neurological and ophthalmological complications. Currently, no specific antiviral therapy against ZIKV is available, and treatments are palliative and mainly directed to symptoms relief, such as fever and rash, by administering antipyretics, anti-histamines, and fluids for dehydration. Nevertheless, lately, a great effort has been made to search for antiviral candidates using different approaches and methodologies, ranging from repurposing of specific compounds with known antiviral activity to the screening of libraries and of natural compounds. The identified antiviral candidates include drugs targeting viral components (structural proteins and enzymes), as well as cellular ones. Here, we present an updated review of current knowledge about anti-ZIKV strategies, focusing on host-directed antivirals as a realistic alternative to combat ZIKV infection.

scholarly journals Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Masiêro Araujo ◽  
Maria Lucia Brito Ferreira ◽  
Osvaldo JM Nascimento
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Standard Test ◽  
Guillain Barre Syndrome ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Guillain Barré Syndrome ◽  
Large Outbreak ◽  
Guillain Barré

ABSTRACT Zika virus (ZIKV) is now considered an emerging flavivirosis, with a first large outbreak registered in the Yap Islands in 2007. In 2013, a new outbreak was reported in the French Polynesia, with associated cases of neurological complications including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The incidence of GBS has increased in Brazil since 2015, what is speculated to be secondary to the ZIKV infection outbreak. The gold-standard test for detection of acute ZIKV infection is the polymerase-chain reaction technique, an essay largely unavailable in Brazil. The diagnosis of GBS is feasible even in resource-limited areas using the criteria proposed by the GBS Classification Group, which is based solely on clinical grounds. Further understanding on the relationship of ZIKV with neurological complications is a research urgency.

scholarly journals Late Neurological Consequences of Zika Virus Infection: Risk Factors and Pharmaceutical Approaches

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isis N. O. Souza ◽  
Fernanda G. Q. Barros-Aragão ◽  
Paula S. Frost ◽  
Claudia P. Figueiredo ◽  
Julia R. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Zika Virus ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Clinical Surveillance ◽  
Infection Risk Factors

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was historically considered a disease with mild symptoms and no major consequences to human health. However, several long-term, late onset, and chronic neurological complications, both in congenitally-exposed babies and in adult patients, have been reported after ZIKV infection, especially after the 2015 epidemics in the American continent. The development or severity of these conditions cannot be fully predicted, but it is possible that genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors may contribute to determine ZIKV infection outcomes. This reinforces the importance that individuals exposed to ZIKV are submitted to long-term clinical surveillance and highlights the urgent need for the development of therapeutic approaches to reduce or eliminate the neurological burden of infection. Here, we review the epidemiology of ZIKV-associated neurological complications and the role of factors that may influence disease outcome. Moreover, we discuss experimental and clinical evidence of drugs that have shown promising results in vitro or in vitro against viral replication and and/or ZIKV-induced neurotoxicity.

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