A Short Compilation on Zika Virus Transmission and Its Complication During Pregnancy

Abstract

Zika virus is an emerging arthropod borne virus (arbovirus) transmitted by Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquitoes. The virus belongs to the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae, and is closely related to other Flavi viruses such as dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses. Zika Virus is an RNA virus containing 10,794 nucleotides encoding 3,419 amino acids. Zika Virus was first isolated from a rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest of Uganda, in 1947. 1 Zika Virus was first isolated from humans in 1968, in Nigeria. Zika Virus has been considered as emergent since 2007.In 2007, an outbreak of Zika Virus occurred on YAP, the western state of Micronesia. There was 49 conformed and 59 probable cases of Zika identified. Roughly 73% of the 11,241 population was infected according to the CDC. In November 2013, an outbreak occurred in the islands of Western Polynesia, including Tahiti. As of January 13, 2014 the number of confirmed Zika cases was 361, while the number of suspected cases was over 35,000. In February 2014, New Caledonia reported 49 cases, 30 were cases imported from French Polynesia, some cases were confirmed to be autochthonous. 2 Clinical Manifestations: The first well-documented report of human Zika Virus disease was in 1964 when Simpson described his own occupationally acquired Zika illness at age 28. It began with mild headache. Next day, a maculopapular rash covered his face, neck, trunk, and upper arms, and spread to his palms and soles. Transient fever, malaise, and back pain developed. By the evening of the second day of illness he was a febrile, the rash was fading, and he felt better. By day three, he felt well and had only the rash, which disappeared over the next 2 days. Zika Virus was isolated from serum collected while he was febrile. 3 In 1973, laboratory-acquired Zika Virus illness in a man was reported with acute onset of fever, headache, and joint pain but no rash which was isolated from serum collected on the first day of symptoms; the man's illness resolved in 1 week. Of the 7 Zika Virus case-patients in Indonesia, all had fever, but they were detected by hospital-based surveillance for febrile illness. 4 Other manifestations included anorexia, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and dizziness. The outbreak on Yap Island was characterized by rash, conjunctivitis, and ABSTRACT Zika virus, a mosquito borne flavivirus transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is a pathogen affecting humans. These vectors also transmit dengue and chikungunya virus and are found throughout much of the world, including parts of the United States. An estimated 80% of persons infected with Zika virus are asymptomatic. Microcephaly is the greater risk for the infant born from the Zika Virus infected pregnant mother. This virus also causes neurological syndromes. Zika virus disease can often be diagnosed by performing reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on serum.