Familiar barriers still unresolved—a perspective on the Zika virus outbreak research response

Lamballerie, Xavier de; Jaenisch, Thomas; Rosenberger, Kerstin; Morales, Ivonne; Marques, Ernesto T. A.; Viana, Isabelle Freire Tabosa; Brasil, Patrícia; Rabello, Renata dos Santos; Avelino‐Silva, Vivian Iida; Segurado, Aluísio Cotrim; Alexander, Neal; Mayaud, Philippe; Netto, Eduardo Martins; Tami, Adriana; Bethencourt, Sarah; Miranda, María Consuelo; Lozano‐Parra, Anyela; Soria, C.; Cisneros, Silvia Paula Salgado; Gotuzzo, Eduardo; Guzmán, María G.; Rodriguez, Pedro A M; López‐Gatell, Hugo; Hegewisch-Taylor, Jennifer; Borja-Aburto, Victor Hugo; Bonilla, Cesar Gonzales; Hoën, Bruno; Roode, Martine van; Rockx, Barry

doi:10.1016/s1473-3099(18)30497-3

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The increasing connectivity of the modern world, changing demographics, and climate change increase the potential for novel and known viral pathogens to emerge and rapidly spread in new and unexpected areas, as could be seen during the emergence and global threat of Ebola virus in recent outbreaks 1 . Early detection or ruling out of high impact (emerging) infections as causes of disease is a hallmark of preparedness, but research in response to recent outbreaks of Ebola, Zika and yellow fever has shown that these pathogens circulated for extended periods of time before being recognized, leading to costly delays in public health response 2 – 5 . One of the key challenges is how to prioritize local investments in detection capacity, given the diversity of emerging diseases, the unpredictable nature of outbreaks, and the limited resources available for outbreak preparedness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Setting a baseline for global urban virome surveillance in sewage

Nieuwenhuijse¹,

Munnink²,

Phan³

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rapid development of megacities, and their growing connectedness across the world is becoming a distinct driver for emerging disease outbreaks. Early detection of unusual disease emergence and spread should therefore include such cities as part of risk-based surveillance. A catch-all metagenomic sequencing approach of urban sewage could potentially provide an unbiased insight into the dynamics of viral pathogens circulating in a community irrespective of access to care, a potential which already has been proven for the surveillance of poliovirus. Here, we present a detailed characterization of sewage viromes from a snapshot of 81 high density urban areas across the globe, including in-depth assessment of potential biases, as a proof of concept for catch-all viral pathogen surveillance. We show the ability to detect a wide range of viruses and geographical and seasonal differences for specific viral groups. Our findings offer a cross-sectional baseline for further research in viral surveillance from urban sewage samples and place previous studies in a global perspective.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Setting a baseline for global urban virome surveillance in sewage

Nieuwenhuijse¹,

Munnink²,

Phan³

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The mosquito samples screened in this study are the earliest known adult mosquito samples from the RMR that were collected and stored for RNA virus preservation and analysis during the onset of the ZIKV outbreak. Nevertheless, the study team experienced significant intra- and inter-institutional delays with permissions, including significant logistical restrictions on exporting samples and with obtaining reagents, to some extent similar to those described by others in relation to this Zika outbreak 76 . In addition to logistical considerations, there can often be difficulties in the rapid introduction of new molecular techniques in outbreak situations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

No evidence of Zika, dengue, or chikungunya virus infection in field-caught mosquitoes from the Recife Metropolitan Region, Brazil, 2015

Ramesh¹,

Jeffries²,

Castanha³

et al. 2019

Wellcome Open Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The Recife Metropolitan Region (RMR), north-eastern Brazil, was the epicentre of the 2015 Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic, which was followed by a 2016 chikungunya virus (CHIKV) epidemic. It historically has amongst the highest incidence of dengue virus (DENV) infections and is the only remaining focus of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in Brazil. In early 2015, a molecular xenomonitoring surveillance project focused on Culex (Cx.) quinquefasciatus commenced to inform LF elimination activities. Aedes (Ae.) aegypti mosquitoes were also collected, concurrent with the first microcephaly cases detected in the RMR. In terms of the 2015 ZIKV epidemic, these are the earliest known field-collected mosquitoes, preserved for potential RNA virus detection, when ZIKV was known to be circulating locally. Methods: Adult mosquitoes were collected in two sites (0.4 km2) of Sítio Novo, Olinda, RMR, from July 22 to August 21, 2015. Mosquitoes were morphologically identified, sorted by physiological status, and pooled (up to 10 mosquitoes per house per day or week). RNA was extracted, reverse transcribed and the cDNA tested by real-time PCR. Results: A total of 10,139 adult female Cx. quinquefasciatus and 939 adult female Ae. aegypti were captured. All female Ae. aegypti specimens were included within 156 pools and screened for ZIKV, DENV and CHIKV. In addition, a sub-set of 1,556 Cx. quinquefasciatus adult females in 182 pools were screened for ZIKV. No evidence of infection with any of the three arboviruses was found. Conclusions: The absence of arbovirus detection may have been expected given the extremely restricted geographic area and collection of mosquitoes during a very short time period of peak mosquito abundance (July–September), but low arbovirus circulation (November–March). However, this study demonstrates the potential to retrospectively screen for additional unexpected pathogens in situations of rapid emergence, such as occurred during the outbreak of ZIKV in the RMR.

show abstract

“…Since 2017, understanding about the pathogenesis of how ZIKV causes congenital abnormalities has evolved 11, 12 . The quality of diagnostic methods, especially for acute ZIKV infection, has also improved 13– 15 . More importantly, understanding of the limitations of diagnostic testing, and the need for interpretation in the context of other flavivirus infections, has developed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zika virus infection as a cause of congenital brain abnormalities and Guillain-Barré syndrome: A living systematic review

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The Zika virus (ZIKV) caused a large outbreak in the Americas leading to the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in February 2016. A causal relation between infection and adverse congenital outcomes such as microcephaly was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) informed by a systematic review structured according to a framework of ten dimensions of causality, based on the work of Bradford Hill. Subsequently, the evidence has continued to accumulate, which we incorporate in regular updates of the original work, rendering it a living systematic review. Methods: We present an update of our living systematic review on the causal relation between ZIKV infection and adverse congenital outcomes and between ZIKV and GBS for four dimensions of causality: strength of association, dose-response, specificity, and consistency. We assess the evidence published between January 18, 2017 and July 1, 2019. Results: We found that the strength of association between ZIKV infection and adverse outcomes from case-control studies differs according to whether exposure to ZIKV is assessed in the mother (OR 3.8, 95% CI: 1.7-8.7, I2=19.8%) or the foetus/infant (OR 37.4, 95% CI: 11.0-127.1, I2=0%). In cohort studies, the risk of congenital abnormalities was 3.5 times higher after ZIKV infection (95% CI: 0.9-13.5, I2=0%). The strength of association between ZIKV infection and GBS was higher in studies that enrolled controls from hospital (OR: 55.8, 95% CI: 17.2-181.7, I2=0%) than in studies that enrolled controls at random from the same community or household (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 0.8-5.4, I2=74.6%). In case-control studies, selection of controls from hospitals could have biased results. Conclusions: The conclusions that ZIKV infection causes adverse congenital outcomes and GBS are reinforced with the evidence published between January 18, 2017 and July 1, 2019.

show abstract

Familiar barriers still unresolved—a perspective on the Zika virus outbreak research response

Cited by 19 publications

References 17 publications

Setting a baseline for global urban virome surveillance in sewage

Setting a baseline for global urban virome surveillance in sewage

No evidence of Zika, dengue, or chikungunya virus infection in field-caught mosquitoes from the Recife Metropolitan Region, Brazil, 2015

Zika virus infection as a cause of congenital brain abnormalities and Guillain-Barré syndrome: A living systematic review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About