Zika Virus-Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Potential Interaction in the Etiopathology of Birth Defects in Brazil, a One Health Issue?

Abstract

In 2015, Brazil has lived an unprecedented epidemic of microcephaly that has not yet been fully elucidated. Also cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome increased dramatically. Preliminary observations suggested involvement of cofactors in the etiopathology of Zika virus associated microcephaly in Brazil. Research teams identified Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) in fetal samples with microcephaly, originating in the state of Paraíba, and two virus sequences, obtained from the amniotic fluid collected from mothers with babies affected by Zika and microcephaly, have been characterized as sub genotype BVDV-1b1, of cosmopolitan diffusion, and BVDV-2b, typical genotype circulating in South America, showing unreported variants in the Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES). Further studies established a statistical association between microcephaly and cattle breeding in the northeastern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Ceará. The expanded epidemiological analysis throughout Brazil showed that the association between cattle breeding rural areas and microcephaly was confirmed for the entire Brazil, against typical arbovirus diffusion patterns.