Zika virus outbreak: a review of neurological complications, diagnosis, and treatment options

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus transmitted mainly by mosquitos ofAedes species. The virus has emerged in recent years and spread throughout North and South Americas. The recent outbreak of ZIKV started in Brazil (2015) has resulted in infections surpassing a million mark. Contrary to the previous beliefs that Zika causes mildly symptomatic infections fever, headache, rash, arthralgia, and conjunctivitis, the recent outbreak associated ZIKV to serious neurological complications such as microcephaly, Guillain-Barr é syndrome, and eye infections. The recent outbreak has resulted in an astonishing number of microcephaly cases in fetus and infants. Consequently, numerous studies were conducted using in vitro cell and in vivo animal models. These studies showed clear links between ZIKV infections and neurologica l abnormalities. Diagnosis methods based on nucleic acid and serological detection facilitated rapid and accurate identification of ZIKV infections. New transmission modalities such as sexual and transplacental transmission were uncovered. Given the seriousness of ZIKV infections, WHO declared the d evelopment of safe and effective vaccines and new antiviral drugs as an urgent global health priority. Rapid work in this direction has led to the identification of several vaccine and antiviral drug candidates. Here, we review the remarkable progress made in understanding the molecular links betwee n ZIKV infections and neurological irregularities, new diagnosis met...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research