Zika crisis in Brazil: challenges in research and development

Ribeiro, Lucas S.; Marques, Rafael Elias; Jesus, Amélia Maria Ribeiro de; Almeida, Roque Pacheco de; Teixeira, Mauro Martins

doi:10.1016/j.coviro.2016.04.002

Cited by 34 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic has posed significant challenges for health care and for the economy of Brazil and other affected countries (1,2). While ZIKV infection during pregnancy has been linked primarily to microcephaly, a birth defect, the overall magnitude of risk remains uncertain (3)(4)(5)(6)(7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zika virus infects cells lining the blood-retinal barrier and causes chorioretinal atrophy in mouse eyes

et al. 2017

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zika virus infects cells lining the blood-retinal barrier and causes chorioretinal atrophy in mouse eyes

et al. 2017

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“…SLEV is closely related to JEV and West Nile virus (WNV), both also characterized by the ability to cause severe neurological disease in humans [7, 8]. The recent emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) and the prospect of outbreaks of other flaviviruses indicates how necessary it is to study neglected arboviral diseases [6, 9]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a model of Saint Louis encephalitis infection and disease in mice

Marques

Sarto

Rocha

et al. 2017

J Neuroinflammation

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BackgroundFlaviviruses are a genre of closely related viral pathogens which emerged in the last decades in Brazil and in the world. Saint (St.) Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is a neglected flavivirus that can cause a severe neurological disease that may lead to death or sequelae. St. Louis encephalitis pathogenesis is poorly understood, which hinders the development of specific treatment or vaccine.MethodsTo address this problem, we developed a model of SLEV infection in mice to study mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of severe disease. The model consists in the intracranial inoculation of the SLEV strain BeH 355964, a strain isolated from a symptomatic human patient in Brazil, in adult immunocompetent mice.ResultsInoculated mice presented SLEV replication in the brain, accompanied by tissue damage, disease signs, and mortality approximately 7 days post infection. Infection was characterized by the production of proinflammatory cytokines and interferons and by leukocyte recruitment to the brain, composed mainly by neutrophils and lymphocytes. In vitro experiments indicated that SLEV is able to replicate in both neurons and glia and caused neuronal death and cytokine production, respectively.ConclusionsAltogether, intracranial SLEV infection leads to meningoencephalitis in mice, recapitulating several aspects of St. Louis encephalitis in humans. Our study indicates that the central nervous system (CNS) inflammation is a major component of SLEV-induced disease. This model may be useful to identify mechanisms of disease pathogenesis or resistance to SLEV infection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12974-017-0837-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…, being difficult to diagnose and distinguish from other viral infections 30 . The gold standard for identification of viral infections is the isolation of the etiological agent in culture, but it requires a high viral load and the right timing for sample collection, since the ZIKV remains circulating in blood for up to five days after the onset of symptoms.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…A precise and fast diagnosis of an ongoing infection can be achieved by performing a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. ZIKV RNA and viable viruses have also been detected in urine, saliva, semen and vaginal secretion for up to 30 days, making these specimens an alternative for late diagnosis 30,31 . We have demonstrated fetal MRI brain abnormalities of the recently-named congenital Zika syndrome, providing an association of the presumed affected cases with the traditional findings of CNS infections.…”

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confidence: 99%

Presumed Zika virus-related congenital brain malformations: the spectrum of CT and MRI findings in fetuses and newborns

Castro

Pereira

Dias

et al. 2017

Arq. Neuro-Psiquiatr.

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The new epidemic of Zika virus infection raises grave concerns, especially with the increasingly-recognized link between emerging cases of microcephaly and this infectious disease. Besides small cranial dimensions, there are striking morphologic anomalies in the fetal brain. Key anomalies include cortical developmental malformations and a peculiar distribution of pathologic calcifications. These potentially indicate a new pattern of congenital central nervous system infection. Methods: Eight women underwent fetal MRI. Four infants also underwent postnatal CT. Five of the women underwent amniocentesis. Results: All neonates were born with microcephaly. On fetal MRI, ventriculomegaly, marked reduction of white matter thickness, severe sylvian fissure simplification, abnormal sulcation, and diffuse volumetric loss of cerebellar hemispheres were consistently seen. On postnatal CT, diffuse subcortical and basal ganglia calcifications were observed. The Zika virus was detected in two amniocenteses by polymerase chain reaction assays. Conclusion: We hope to assist the medical community in recognizing the spectrum of encephalic changes related to congenital Zika virus infection.Keywords:Zika virus; microcephaly; tomography, X-ray computed; magnetic resonance imaging. RESUMOOs novos casos epidêmicos de infecção pelo vírus Zika suscitam grande preocupação, sobretudo com o crescente reconhecimento da ligação entre casos emergentes de microcefalia e esta doença infecciosa. Além da cabeça de pequenas dimensões, existem profundas alterações morfológicas no encéfalo fetal. Anomalias mais típicas incluem malformações do desenvolvimento cortical e uma distribuição peculiar de calcificações patológicas. Estes dados potencialmente indicam um novo padrão de infecção congênita do sistema nervoso central. Métodos: Oito mulheres foram submetidas a RM fetal. Quatro crianças também realizaram TC pós-natal. Cinco mulheres foram submetidas a amniocentese. Resultados: Todos os neonatos nasceram com microcefalia. Na RM fetal, ventriculomegalia, acentuada redução da espessura da substância branca, acentuada simplificação da fissura sylviana, sulcação anormal e redução volumétrica difusa dos hemisférios cerebelares foram constantes. Na TC pós-natal, calcificações difusas subcorticais e nos núcleos da base foram observadas. O vírus Zika foi detectado por PCR em duas amniocenteses. Conclusão: Esperamos dar suporte à comunidade médica em reconhecer este padrão de imagem potencialmente específico.Palavras-chave: Zika vírus; microcefalia; tomografia computadorizada por raios X; imagem por ressonância magnética.

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Zika crisis in Brazil: challenges in research and development

Cited by 34 publications

References 44 publications

Zika virus infects cells lining the blood-retinal barrier and causes chorioretinal atrophy in mouse eyes

Zika virus infects cells lining the blood-retinal barrier and causes chorioretinal atrophy in mouse eyes

Development of a model of Saint Louis encephalitis infection and disease in mice

Presumed Zika virus-related congenital brain malformations: the spectrum of CT and MRI findings in fetuses and newborns

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