Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 669: Is the ZIKV Congenital Syndrome and Microcephaly Due to Syndemism with Latent Virus Coinfection?

Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 669: Is the ZIKV Congenital Syndrome and Microcephaly Due to Syndemism with Latent Virus Coinfection? Viruses doi: 10.3390/v13040669 Authors: Solène Grayo The emergence of the Zika virus (ZIKV) mirrors its evolutionary nature and, thus, its ability to grow in diversity or complexity (i.e., related to genome, host response, environment changes, tropism, and pathogenicity), leading to it recently joining the circle of closed congenital pathogens. The causal relation of ZIKV to microcephaly is still a much-debated issue. The identification of outbreak foci being in certain endemic urban areas characterized by a high-density population emphasizes that mixed infections might spearhead the recent appearance of a wide range of diseases that were initially attributed to ZIKV. Globally, such coinfections may have both positive and negative effects on viral replication, tropism, host response, and the viral genome. In other words, the possibility of coinfection may necessitate revisiting what is considered to be known regarding the pathogenesis and epidemiology of ZIKV diseases. ZIKV viral coinfections are already being reported with other arboviruses (e.g., chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and dengue virus (DENV)) as well as congenital pathogens (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cytomegalovirus (HCMV)). However, descriptions of human latent viruses and their impacts on ZIKV disease outcomes in hosts are currently lacking. This review proposes to s...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research