Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Zika Virus Transmission in Indonesia: Serosurveillance Data from a Pediatric Population.

R Tedjo Sasmono,Paul Pronyk,Elizabeth Jane Soepardi,Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro,Amin Soebandrio,Ronald Rosenberg,William A Hawley,Alain Bouckenooghe,Edison Johar,Khin Saw Aye Myint,Ann M Powers,Benediktus Yohan,Chairin Nisa Ma’Roef

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.21-0010

Abstract

.The presence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Indonesia has been recognized since the 1970s, but its transmission dynamics there have been poorly understood. To understand more fully the geographic distribution and burden of ZIKV infection, we performed retrospective serological tests on specimens collected from asymptomatic children age 5 to 9 years old living at 30 sites in 14 provinces. Of 870 serum samples tested, 9.2% were found to be positive for anti-ZIKV antibodies, as confirmed by plaque reduction neutralization assays. This was the same overall prevalence reported previously for 1- to 4-year-old children collected at the same sites at the same time. Together with geographic differences in seroprevalence between the age groups, these data suggest that, although ZIKV might be endemic in Indonesia, its occurrence has been focal and episodic.

Highlights

The global epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) began in Micronesia in 2007 and peaked in the tropical western hemisphere, where it had not been found previously, from 2015 to 2016.1 Transmitted predominately by Aedes aegypti, ZIKV is rare among flaviviruses for causing birth defects and for being capable of sexual transmission.[1]
The first cases from Indonesia, based on serological evidence, were reported from Java in 1981, and active transmission was confirmed molecularly from Sumatra in 2015.2,3 The dengue viruses (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted by Ae. aegypti, occur widely in Indonesia, so there is reason to believe that, despite infrequent reports of ZIKV as a cause of disease, it has long been endemic in the country
We recently reported the presence of ZIKV antibodies in blood collected during a DENV crosssectional serosurvey in 2014 from healthy 1- to 4-year-old Indonesian children, as confirmed by the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT90).[6]

Summary

Introduction

The global epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) began in Micronesia in 2007 and peaked in the tropical western hemisphere, where it had not been found previously, from 2015 to 2016.1 Transmitted predominately by Aedes aegypti, ZIKV is rare among flaviviruses for causing birth defects and for being capable of sexual transmission.[1]. E-mail: sasmono@eijkman.go.id provinces during October and November 2014, were tested.[7] ZIKV-specific PRNT90 were performed using a method adapted from a previously published protocol.[6] The virus used was ZIKV strain JMB-185, isolated from a febrile case from Jambi, Sumatra.[3] Briefly, sera were screened initially for ZIKV antibodies by PRNT90 at a 1:10 serum dilution.

Results

Conclusion