Congenital Zika syndrome phenotype in a child born in Brazil in December 2011

Coelho, Katia E. F. A.; Silva, Grasiele L. C. C.; Pinho, Suely F.; Carvalho, Alessandra; Petter, Cristian M.; Brandi, Ivar Viana

doi:10.1002/ccr3.1810

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 13 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…Another case report of a child born in Brazil in 2011 raises suspicion that ZIKV may have produced teratogenic effects before 2013 (Coelho et al, 2018). In this case, the mother reported symptoms consistent with ZIKV infection during the second month of pregnancy, and microcephaly was detected on ultrasonography at five months gestation.…”

Section: Evidence To Suggest That Zikv’s Teratogenic Effects Were Missedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zika virus as a cause of birth defects: Were the teratogenic effects of Zika virus missed for decades?

Gilbert

Petersen

Honein

et al. 2022

Birth Defects Research

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Zika virus (ZIKV) was identified as a teratogen in 2016 when an increase in severe microcephaly and other brain defects was observed in fetuses and newborns following outbreaks in French Polynesia (2013–2014) and Brazil (2015–2016) and among travelers to other countries experiencing outbreaks. Some have questioned why ZIKV was not recognized as a teratogen before these outbreaks: whether novel genetic changes in ZIKV had increased its teratogenicity or whether its association with birth defects had previously been undetected. Here we examine the evidence for these two possibilities. We describe evidence for specific mutations that arose before the French Polynesia outbreak that might have increased ZIKV teratogenicity. We also present information on children born with findings consistent with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) as early as 2009 and epidemiological evidence that suggests increases in CZS‐type birth defects before 2013. We also explore reasons why a link between ZIKV and birth defects might have been missed, including issues with surveillance of ZIKV infections and of birth defects, challenges to ZIKV diagnostic testing, and the susceptibility of different populations to ZIKV infection at the time of pregnancy. Although it is not possible to prove definitively that ZIKV had teratogenic properties before 2013, several pieces of evidence support the hypothesis that its teratogenicity had been missed in the past. These findings emphasize the need for further investments in global surveillance for emerging infections and for birth defects so that infectious teratogens can be identified more expeditiously in the future.

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Section: Evidence To Suggest That Zikv’s Teratogenic Effects Were Missedmentioning

confidence: 99%