Zika virus evolution on the edges of the Pacific ocean

Myrielle Dupont-Rouzeyrol,Laure Diancourt,Elodie Calvez,Mathias Vandenbogaert,Olivia O'Connor,Anita Teissier,Morgane Pol,Maite Aubry,Oumar Faye,Douglas Tou,Van-Mai Cao-Lormeau,Valérie Caro

doi:10.1038/emi.2017.102

Abstract

Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e111; doi:10.1038/emi.2017.102; published online 13 December 2017

Highlights

Several outbreaks caused by these viruses recently occurred in the Pacific region, probably resulting from multiple factors:[1] the presence of competent mosquito vectors; environmental and demographical conditions favourable to mosquito proliferation and disease transmission; and the increasing volume of travel between continental tropical areas where arboviruses are endemic and the Pacific, and between Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)
In 2013, Zika virus (ZIKAV) emerged in French Polynesia and subsequently spread to other PICTs.[1]
One is probably resulting from the existence of close links and regular flight connections between French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. This is corroborated by epidemiological data from New Caledonia health authorities reporting 30 ZIKAV imported infections from French Polynesia by the end of 2013, followed by the detection of the first autochthonous ZIKAV cases in January 2014.8,9 The dissemination of arboviruses between French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu was already observed at several occasions by the past, notably for dengue virus (DENV)-1 and DENV-4.10,11 The second pathway of dissemination may have been driven by travel exchanges between French Polynesia and other PICTs; and between those PICTs

Summary

Introduction

In 2013, ZIKAV emerged in French Polynesia and subsequently spread to other PICTs.[1] In 2015, ZIKAV appeared in Brazil and several other Latin American countries where it was associated with a marked increase in the number of cases of congenital abnormalities, including microcephaly, and neurological disorders.[2,3,4] Phylogenetic analysis classified ZIKAV into two major genetic lineages, African and Asian, with the Asian lineage responsible for the current global expansion of ZIKAV.[2] To date, except for French Polynesia, there are little data on ZIKAV Pacific strains.[5,6] In our study, by adding 13 new full ZIKAV genome sequences, isolated from different places in the Pacific region and at different periods of time, along with other published genomes, we provide for the first time a map of the whole ZIKAV Pacific sublineage, from the Western to the Eastern edges of the Pacific ocean.

Results

Conclusion