Zika virus infections: An overview of current scenario.
01 Jul 2016-Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine (Asian Pac J Trop Med)-Vol. 9, Iss: 7, pp 621-625
TL;DR: Current evidence strongly supports an exclusive link of viral infection and observed neurological complications in ZIKV, and in vulnerable areas, most viable strategy to ensure public health safety is vector control and enhanced public awareness about the transmission of the disease.
About: This article is published in Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine.The article was published on 2016-07-01 and is currently open access. It has received 27 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Zika virus & Dengue virus.
Citations
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TL;DR: A comprehensive neuropathological study in ten newborn babies infected with ZIKV during pregnancy, including the spinal cords and dorsal root ganglia, and also muscle, pituitaries, eye, systemic organs, and placentas, indicates a developmental vulnerability of the immature CNS, and sheds light on possible mechanisms of brain injury of this newly recognized public health threat.
Abstract: A major concern associated with ZIKV infection is the increased incidence of microcephaly with frequent calcifications in infants born from infected mothers. To date, postmortem analysis of the central nervous system (CNS) in congenital infection is limited to individual reports or small series. We report a comprehensive neuropathological study in ten newborn babies infected with ZIKV during pregnancy, including the spinal cords and dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and also muscle, pituitaries, eye, systemic organs, and placentas. Using in situ hybridization (ISH) and electron microscopy, we investigated the role of direct viral infection in the pathogenesis of the lesions. Nine women had Zika symptoms between the 4th and 18th and one in the 28th gestational week. Two babies were born at 32, one at 34 and 36 weeks each and six at term. The cephalic perimeter was reduced in four, and normal or enlarged in six patients, although the brain weights were lower than expected. All had arthrogryposis, except the patient infected at 28 weeks gestation. We defined three patterns of CNS lesions, with different patterns of destructive, calcification, hypoplasia, and migration disturbances. Ventriculomegaly was severe in the first pattern due to midbrain damage with aqueduct stenosis/distortion. The second pattern had small brains and mild/moderate (ex-vacuo) ventriculomegaly. The third pattern, a well-formed brain with mild calcification, coincided with late infection. The absence of descending fibres resulted in hypoplastic basis pontis, pyramids, and cortico-spinal tracts. Spinal motor cell loss explained the intrauterine akinesia, arthrogryposis, and neurogenic muscle atrophy. DRG, dorsal nerve roots, and columns were normal. Lympho-histiocytic inflammation was mild. ISH showed meningeal, germinal matrix, and neocortical infection, consistent with neural progenitors death leading to proliferation and migration disorders. A secondary ischemic process may explain the destructive lesions. In conclusion, we characterized the destructive and malformative consequences of ZIKV in the nervous system, as reflected in the topography and severity of lesions, anatomic localization of the virus, and timing of infection during gestation. Our findings indicate a developmental vulnerability of the immature CNS, and shed light on possible mechanisms of brain injury of this newly recognized public health threat.
152 citations
Cites background from "Zika virus infections: An overview ..."
...In less than 1 year, ZIKV spread to many Brazilian states (particularly in the Northeast) and is currently endemic in many Latin America countries and the Caribbean [10, 21]....
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...A widespread epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was reported in 2015 in South and Central America [10, 21, 35]....
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TL;DR: The presence of MoRF regions in structural and non-structural proteins of Zika virus using an aforementioned set of computational techniques is investigated and the intrinsic disorderness of NS2B cofactor region ofNS2B-NS3 protease is experimentally validated.
63 citations
TL;DR: The salient advances in the prevention and control strategies to combat ZIKV are discussed with a focus on highlighting various intervention approaches against the vector mosquitoes of this viral pathogen along with presenting an overview regarding human intervention measures to counter other modes of ZikV transmission and spread.
Abstract: Zika virus (ZIKV) is the most recent intruder that acquired the status of global threat creating panic and frightening situation to public owing to its rapid spread, attaining higher virulence and causing complex clinical manifestations including microcephaly in newborns and Guillain Barre Syndrome. Alike other flaviviruses, the principal mode of ZIKV transmission is by mosquitoes. Advances in research have provided reliable diagnostics for detecting ZIKV infection, while several drug/therapeutic targets and vaccine candidates have been identified recently. Despite these progresses, currently there is neither any effective drug nor any vaccine available against ZIKV. Under such circumstances and to tackle the problem at large, control measures of which mosquito population control need to be strengthened following appropriate mechanical, chemical, biological and genetic control measures. Apart from this, several other known modes of ZIKV transmission which have gained importance in recent past such as intrauterine, sexual intercourse, and blood-borne spread need to be checked and kept under control by adopting appropriate precautions and utmost care during sexual intercourse, blood transfusion and organ transplantation. The virus inactivation by pasteurization, detergents, chemicals, and filtration can effectively reduce viral load in plasma-derived medicinal products. Added to this, strengthening of the surveillance and monitoring of ZIKV as well as avoiding travel to Zika infected areas would aid in keeping viral infection under check. Here, we discuss the salient advances in the prevention and control strategies to combat ZIKV with a focus on highlighting various intervention approaches against the vector mosquitoes of this viral pathogen along with presenting an overview regarding human intervention measures to counter other modes of ZIKV transmission and spread. Additionally, owing to the success of vaccines for a number of infections globally, a separate section dealing with advances in ZIKV vaccines and transmission blocking vaccines has also been included.
44 citations
Cites background from "Zika virus infections: An overview ..."
...Nevertheless, a sense of responsibility and collective efforts at the level of both government as well as the public are the need of hour (Dasti, 2016; Mourya et al., 2016)....
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TL;DR: This review focuses on the most recent aspects of ZIKV research which includes the outbreaks, genome structure, multiplication and propagation of the virus, and more importantly, the development of serological and molecular detection tools such as Zika IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Zika MAC-ELISA).
Abstract: The Zika virus (ZIKV) is one of the most infamous mosquito-borne flavivirus on recent memory due to its potential association with high mortality rates in fetuses, microcephaly and neurological impairments in neonates, and autoimmune disorders. The severity of the disease, as well as its fast spread over several continents, has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare ZIKV a global health concern. In consequence, over the past couple of years, there has been a significant effort for the development of ZIKV diagnostic methods, vaccine development, and prevention strategies. This review focuses on the most recent aspects of ZIKV research which includes the outbreaks, genome structure, multiplication and propagation of the virus, and more importantly, the development of serological and molecular detection tools such as Zika IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Zika MAC-ELISA), plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), reverse transcription-loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensors, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). Additionally, we discuss the limitations of currently available diagnostic methods, the potential of newly developed sensing technologies, and also provide insight into future areas of research.
29 citations
TL;DR: The review suggests that the infection due to ZIKV became one of the universal concerns and an interdisciplinary environment of in vitro cellular assays, genomics, proteomics, and computational biology approaches probably contribute insights for screening of novel molecular targets for drug design.
Abstract: One of the potential threats to the public health microbiology in 21st century is the increased mortality rate caused by Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus. The raise in severity of ZIKV infection urged World Health Organization (WHO) to announce this virus as global concern. The limited knowledge on the structure of the virus, virulent factors and replication mechanism posed as hindrance for vaccine development against ZIKV. Several vector and non-vector borne forms of transmission are observed which aid in spreading the disease. The similarity of this virus with other flavivirus such as Dengue and West Nile Virus is worrisome and there are high scopes to undertake Zika virus research that probably provide insight for novel therapeutic intervention. Thus, this review focuses on the recent aspects of Zika virus research including the outbreak, genome structure, multiplication and propagation of the virus, current animal models, clinical manifestations, available treatment options (probable vaccines and therapeutics) including the advancements in computational drug discovery pipelines and challenges and limitation to undertake Zika viral research. The review suggests that the disease became one of the universal concerns and an interdisciplinary environment of in vitro cellular assays, Genomics, Proteomics and computational biology tools probably contribute insights for the screening of novel molecular targets for drug design. The review tried to provide cutting edge knowledge in Zika viral research with future insights required for the development of novel drugs
25 citations
Cites background from "Zika virus infections: An overview ..."
...Nonetheless, the vRNA was detected in saliva and urine after being cleared from blood and further, the presence in CSF indicated that probable existence of ZIKV in some tissues at low levels (Dudley et al., 2016)....
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References
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TL;DR: These new risk maps and infection estimates provide novel insights into the global, regional and national public health burden imposed by dengue and will help to guide improvements in disease control strategies using vaccine, drug and vector control methods, and in their economic evaluation.
Abstract: Dengue is a systemic viral infection transmitted between humans by Aedes mosquitoes. For some patients, dengue is a life-threatening illness. There are currently no licensed vaccines or specific therapeutics, and substantial vector control efforts have not stopped its rapid emergence and global spread. The contemporary worldwide distribution of the risk of dengue virus infection and its public health burden are poorly known. Here we undertake an exhaustive assembly of known records of dengue occurrence worldwide, and use a formal modelling framework to map the global distribution of dengue risk. We then pair the resulting risk map with detailed longitudinal information from dengue cohort studies and population surfaces to infer the public health burden of dengue in 2010. We predict dengue to be ubiquitous throughout the tropics, with local spatial variations in risk influenced strongly by rainfall, temperature and the degree of urbanization. Using cartographic approaches, we estimate there to be 390 million (95% credible interval 284-528) dengue infections per year, of which 96 million (67-136) manifest apparently (any level of disease severity). This infection total is more than three times the dengue burden estimate of the World Health Organization. Stratification of our estimates by country allows comparison with national dengue reporting, after taking into account the probability of an apparent infection being formally reported. The most notable differences are discussed. These new risk maps and infection estimates provide novel insights into the global, regional and national public health burden imposed by dengue. We anticipate that they will provide a starting point for a wider discussion about the global impact of this disease and will help to guide improvements in disease control strategies using vaccine, drug and vector control methods, and in their economic evaluation.
7,238 citations
TL;DR: This outbreak of Zika virus illness in Micronesia represents transmission of Zikairus outside Africa and Asia and clinicians and public health officials should be aware of the risk of further expansion of Zika viruses transmission.
Abstract: BACKGROUND In 2007, physicians on Yap Island reported an outbreak of illness characterized by rash, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia. Although serum from some patients had IgM antibody against dengue virus, the illness seemed clinically distinct from previously detected dengue. Subsequent testing with the use of consensus primers detected Zika virus RNA in the serum of the patients but no dengue virus or other arboviral RNA. No previous outbreaks and only 14 cases of Zika virus disease have been previously documented. METHODS We obtained serum samples from patients and interviewed patients for information on clinical signs and symptoms. Zika virus disease was confirmed by a finding of Zika virus RNA or a specific neutralizing antibody response to Zika virus in the serum. Patients with IgM antibody against Zika virus who had a potentially cross-reactive neutralizing-antibody response were classified as having probable Zika virus disease. We conducted a household survey to estimate the proportion of Yap residents with IgM antibody against Zika virus and to identify possible mosquito vectors of Zika virus. RESULTS We identified 49 confirmed and 59 probable cases of Zika virus disease. The patients resided in 9 of the 10 municipalities on Yap. Rash, fever, arthralgia, and conjunctivitis were common symptoms. No hospitalizations, hemorrhagic manifestations, or deaths due to Zika virus were reported. We estimated that 73% (95% confidence interval, 68 to 77) of Yap residents 3 years of age or older had been recently infected with Zika virus. Aedes hensilli was the predominant mosquito species identified. CONCLUSIONS This outbreak of Zika virus illness in Micronesia represents transmission of Zika virus outside Africa and Asia. Although most patients had mild illness, clinicians and public health officials should be aware of the risk of further expansion of Zika virus transmission.
2,717 citations
TL;DR: Cross neutralization tests indicate that Zika virus is not related to yellow fever, Hawaii dengue nor to the FA and GD VII strains of Theiler's mouse encephalomyelitis virus.
Abstract: 1. (1) The isolation of what is believed to be a hitherto unrecorded virus is described. The first isolation was made in April 1947 from the serum of a pyrexial rhesus monkey caged in the canopy of Zika Forest. The second isolation was made from a lot of A. africanus taken in January, 1948, in the same forest. The virus has been called Zika virus after the locality from where the isolations were made. 2. (2) Cross neutralization tests indicate that Zika virus is not related to yellow fever, Hawaii dengue nor to the FA and GD VII strains of Theiler's mouse encephalomyelitis virus. Neutralization tests with Zika virus and the antisera of some other viruses which are neurotropic in mice gave no evidence of any identity of these with Zika virus.
2,338 citations
TL;DR: The full coding region nucleic acid sequence and serologic properties of the virus were identified and the virus was identified as Crimean-Congo-Wales coronavirus.
Abstract: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus first isolated in Uganda from a sentinel monkey in 1947. Mosquito and sentinel animal surveillance studies have demonstrated that ZIKV is endemic to Africa and Southeast Asia, yet reported human cases are rare, with <10 cases reported in the literature. In June 2007, an epidemic of fever and rash associated with ZIKV was detected in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia. We report the genetic and serologic properties of the ZIKV associated with this epidemic.
1,944 citations
1,901 citations