Congenital Zika syndrome: an epidemic of neurologic disability.

Alex R Paciorkowski

doi:10.1590/0004-282x20170104

Abstract

Dear Editors, The paper by van der Linden et al., “Discordant clinical outcomes of congenital Zika virus infection in twin pregnancies” provides additional information in a story that has placed Zika firmly in the company of other infections such as cytomegalovirus and toxoplasmosis that can cause birth defects in the central nervous system. Unlike these other congenital infections, however, Zika virus regularly causes a particularly severe brain phenotype, rarely seen even by specialists in brain malformations. While microcephaly, central nervous [...]

Highlights

Central nervous system calcifications, and abnormal gyral patterning can be observed as sequelae of other congenital infections, in the case of Zika these aspects have been notably pronounced and severe[2]
Some controversy continues to surround the diagnosis of congenital Zika syndrome, in part due to serologic cross-reactivity with Dengue virus[3]
Zika virus appears to behave in much the same way[5,6], by targeting for infection those cells most vulnerable for injury, and whose numbers cannot be replaced

Summary

Introduction

Congenital Zika syndrome: an epidemic of neurologic disability Síndrome congênita do Zika: uma epidemia de desabilidade neurológica Dear Editors, The paper by van der Linden et al, “Discordant clinical outcomes of congenital Zika virus infection in twin pregnancies”[1] provides additional information in a story that has placed Zika firmly in the company of other infections such as cytomegalovirus and toxoplasmosis that can cause birth defects in the central nervous system.

Results

Conclusion