Latest Articles on Zika Virus
- A Stable Reverse Genetics System of Zika Virus Based on a Self-Splicing Group II Intron Fri, 08 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus of the Flaviviridae family first isolated from a sentinel monkey in the Zika Forest, Uganda, in 1947. Since 2007, the virus has had a vast geographic expansion that extended to the Americas in 2015, leading to a series of large outbreaks. Although mainly transmitted by the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, human infection of ZIKV can also happen through unconventional routes such as sexual intercourse and, more importantly, vertical transmission. The... - Reverse Genetics of Zika Virus Using a Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Fri, 08 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne member of the Flaviviridae family that has become a global threat to human health. Although ZIKV has been known to circulate for decades causing mild febrile illness, the more recent ZIKV outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean have been associated with severe neurological disorders and congenital abnormalities. The development of ZIKV reverse genetics approaches have allowed researchers to address key questions on the biology of ZIKV by genetically... - Entomopathogenic fungi for the control of larvae and adults of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses in Mexico Thu, 07 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
CONCLUSION: The larval stage of Ae. aegypti was more susceptible than the adult phase to the pathogenic action of native fungi, with T. longibrachiatum being with the highest virulence. - Entomological risk assessment for transmission of arboviral diseases by Aedes mosquitoes in a domestic and forest site in Accra, Ghana Thu, 07 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
Dengue, Zika and chikungunya are Aedes-borne viral diseases that have become great global health concerns in the past years. Several countries in Africa have reported outbreaks of these diseases and despite Ghana sharing borders with some of these countries, such outbreaks are yet to be detected. Viral RNA and antibodies against dengue serotype-2 have recently been reported among individuals in some localities in the regional capital of Ghana. This is an indication of a possible silent... - Role of Maternal Immune Factors in Neuroimmunology of Brain Development Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
Inflammation during pregnancy may occur due to various factors. This condition, in which maternal immune system activation occurs, can affect fetal brain development and be related to neurodevelopmental diseases. MIA interacts with the fetus's brain development through maternal antibodies, cytokines, chemokines, and microglial cells. Antibodies are associated with the development of the nervous system by two mechanisms: direct binding to brain inflammatory factors and binding to brain antigens.... - Neurodevelopmental assessment of normocephalic children born to Zika virus exposed and unexposed pregnant people Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
CONCLUSIONS: This study found no statistically significant differences in the neurodevelopment of normocephalic children between in utero ZIKV exposed and unexposed. Nevertheless, long-term monitoring of children with in utero ZIKV exposure is warranted. - Detection and persistence of Zika virus in body fluids and associated factors: a prospective cohort study Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
This study aimed to analyze the detection and duration of the Zika virus (ZIKV) in plasma, urine, saliva, sweat, rectal swabs, vaginal secretions, breast milk, and semen and to explore risk factors associated with prolonged viral persistence. A prospective cohort study of symptomatic patients and their household contacts was conducted in Brazil from July 2017 to June 2019. A total of 260 individuals (184 women and 76 men) with confirmed ZIKV infection were enrolled and followed up for 12 months.... - Chikungunya virus antepartum transmission and abnormal infant outcomes in a cohort of pregnant women in Nigeria Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
CONCLUSION: In Nigeria, we found significant CHIKV infection in pregnancy and possible CHIKV antepartum transmission associated with birth abnormalities. - Development and pre-clinical evaluation of a Zika virus diagnostic for low resource settings Wed, 06 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
INTRODUCTION: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a re-emerging flavivirus that poses a significant public health threat. ZIKV exhibits a wide array of non-vector borne human transmission routes, such as sexual transmission, transplacental transmission and blood transfusion. Detection and surveillance of ZIKV is considered paramount in prevention of major outbreaks. With the majority of cases reported in low-resource locations, simple, low-cost detection methods are considered highly desirable. - Dengue and Zika RNA-RNA interactomes reveal pro- and anti-viral RNA in human cells Tue, 05 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that host RNAs can impact virus replication in permissive and restrictive ways, expanding our understanding of host factors and RNA-based gene regulation during viral pathogenesis.