Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Zika virus infection

Risks associated with viral infections during pregnancy

“…This virus, a member of the family Flaviviridae, is transmitted by mosquito bite and is also potentially sexually transmitted (113)(114)(115)(116)(117). While historically an infection has been described as causing symptoms ranging from fever and rash to Guillain-Barre syndrome (118)(119)(120)(121)(122)(123)(124), during the most recent outbreak there was also a startling increase in the incidence of fetal brain and CNS abnormalities when mothers acquired the virus during pregnancy (32,(125)(126)(127)(128)(129)(130)(131)(132)(133)(134). A causal link between ZIKV and these defects was established when the ZIKV genome was identified in the amniotic fluid of women whose fetuses had microcephaly detected during fetal ultrasound (125-127, 132, 133, 135).…”

Zika virus infection: Clinical overview with a summary of Japanese cases

“…5 The 2013-2014 outbreak in French Polynesia resulted in >30 000 people estimated to be infected with the Zika virus; of these, 42 developed GBS after infection. There has also been a report on a case series of 68 patients in Colombia who experienced GBS in association with Zika virus infection between November 2015 and March 2016.…”

“…4 The occurrence of Guillain-Barr e syndrome (GBS) has been reported, after Zika virus infection, while GBS is considered a rare complication of the infection. 5 In addition, there is an association between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and an increased risk of microcephaly in the fetus. 6 …”

Serious disease outbreaks caused by viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti in Brazil

“…Guillain-Barré syndrome is a serious neurological disease, in which autoantibodies damage the axons of motor neurons as a consequence of a viral infection. The axon lesions disrupt the neurotransmission, leading to muscle paralysis (8) . Four states in the Northeast Region reported an increase of more than 100% in Guillain-Barré syndrome incidence, which has pointed to the connection of these cases with ZIKV infection.…”