Abstract
The Zika virus epidemic that started in Brazil in 2014 has spread to >30 countries and territories in Latin America, leading to a rapid rise in the incidence of microcephalic newborns and adults with neurological complications. At the beginning of the outbreak, little was known about Zika virus morphology, genome structure, modes of transmission, and its potential to cause neurological malformations and disorders. With the advancement of basic science, discoveries of the mechanisms of strain variability, viral transfer to the fetus, and neurovirulence were published. These will certainly lead to the development of strategies to block vertical viral transmission, neuronal invasion, and pathogenesis in the near future. This paper reviews the current literature on Zika virus infections, with the aim of gaining a holistic insight into their etiology and pathogenesis. We discuss Zika virus history and epidemiology in Brazil, viral structure and taxonomy, old and newly identified transmission modes, and neurological consequences of infection.
Highlights
Scientific knowledge on the structure and mechanisms of transmission of Zika virus as well as on neurological malformations and disorders caused by its infection has been rapidly advancing, in great part because of joint efforts of Brazilian scientists
The viral strain proved to be genetically similar (99%) to a French Polynesian isolate, leading to the assumption that it was brought to Brazil by infected tourists who came as spectators to the World Soccer Cup in June/July 2014(2) [3]
By the end of March the following year, a laboratory-confirmed case of Zika virus infection was reported in a male Italian tourist who had been to Salvador, Bahia, confirming circulation of the virus in our country[4]
Summary
Scientific knowledge on the structure and mechanisms of transmission of Zika virus as well as on neurological malformations and disorders caused by its infection has been rapidly advancing, in great part because of joint efforts of Brazilian scientists. We discuss Zika virus history and epidemiology in Brazil, viral structure and taxonomy, old and newly identified transmission modes, and neurological consequences of infection. By the end of March the following year, a laboratory-confirmed case of Zika virus infection was reported in a male Italian tourist who had been to Salvador, Bahia, confirming circulation of the virus in our country[4].
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