Zika virus and microcephaly

Three reports have been published that together make a compelling case that Zika virus is causing microcephaly in Brazil. An epidemic of Zika virus infection began in Brazil in April 2015, and by the end of the year the virus had spread through 19 provinces, many in the northeastern part of the country. Six months after the start of the outbreak, there was a surge in the number of infants born with microcephaly. It was not known if most of the mothers had been infected with Zika virus, as results of serological tests, virus isolation, or PCR were not available. An initial report of 35 Brazilian infants with microcephaly born to women who either resided in or traveled to areas where Zika virus is circulating revealed that 74% of mothers had a rash (one sign of Zika virus infection) in the first or second trimester. At the time of this study no laboratory confirmation of Zika infection was available, but the infants did not have other infections associated with birth defects, including syphilis, toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus or herpes simplex virus. Yesterday the CDC reported on the analysis of tissues from two infants with microcephaly who died within 20 hours of birth, and two miscarriages, all from the state of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. The mothers all had rashes typical of Zika virus infection in the first trimester of pregnancy, but were not tested for infection. All four specimens were positive for Zika virus RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) do...
Source: virology blog - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Basic virology Information flavivirus microcephaly mosquito next generation sequencing placenta pregnancy viral viruses Zika Source Type: blogs