Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Jul;29(3):487-524.
doi: 10.1128/CMR.00072-15.

Zika Virus

Didier Musso  1 , Duane J Gubler  2
Affiliations
Review

Zika Virus

Didier Musso et al. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) in the genus Flavivirus and the family Flaviviridae. ZIKV was first isolated from a nonhuman primate in 1947 and from mosquitoes in 1948 in Africa, and ZIKV infections in humans were sporadic for half a century before emerging in the Pacific and the Americas. ZIKV is usually transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. The clinical presentation of Zika fever is nonspecific and can be misdiagnosed as other infectious diseases, especially those due to arboviruses such as dengue and chikungunya. ZIKV infection was associated with only mild illness prior to the large French Polynesian outbreak in 2013 and 2014, when severe neurological complications were reported, and the emergence in Brazil of a dramatic increase in severe congenital malformations (microcephaly) suspected to be associated with ZIKV. Laboratory diagnosis of Zika fever relies on virus isolation or detection of ZIKV-specific RNA. Serological diagnosis is complicated by cross-reactivity among members of the Flavivirus genus. The adaptation of ZIKV to an urban cycle involving humans and domestic mosquito vectors in tropical areas where dengue is endemic suggests that the incidence of ZIKV infections may be underestimated. There is a high potential for ZIKV emergence in urban centers in the tropics that are infested with competent mosquito vectors such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
African countries in which ZIKV circulation has been reported up to January 2016. Abbreviations: MR, Morocco; CV, Cape Verde; SE, Senegal; GB, Gabon; SL, Sierra Leone; L, Liberia; IC, Ivory Coast; BF, Burkina Faso; ML, Mali; N, Nigeria; NG, Niger; TO, Togo; B, Benin; C, Cameroon; CAR, Central African Republic; G, Gabon; A, Angola; Z, Zaire; MZ, Mozambique; T, Tanzania; U, Uganda; K, Kenya; SO, Somalia; ET, Ethiopia; EG, Egypt.
FIG 2
FIG 2
Asian countries in which ZIKV circulation has been reported up to January 2016. Abbreviations: PA, Pakistan; I, India; T, Thailand; C, Cambodia; V, Vietnam; MA, Maldives; ME, Malaysia; PH, Philippines; IN, Indonesia.
FIG 3
FIG 3
American countries in which ZIKV circulation has been reported up to January 2016. Abbreviations: ME, Mexico; DR, Domincan Republic; VI, Virgin Islands; SM, Saint Martin; GUAD, Guadeloupe; MA, Martinique; BA, Barbados; HA, Haiti; PR, Puerto Rico; HO, Honduras; GUAT, Guatemala; N, Nicaragua; ES, El Salvador; EC, Costa Rica; PN, Panama; V, Venezuela; GUY, Guyana; S, Suriname; FG, French Guiana; C, Colombia; BR, Brazil; BO, Bolivia; PAR, Paraguay.
FIG 4
FIG 4
Pacific countries in which ZIKV circulation has been reported up to January 2016. Abbreviations: WP, West Papua; PNG, Papua New Guinea.
FIG 5
FIG 5
French Polynesian and New Caledonian outbreak profiles.
FIG 6
FIG 6
Phylogenetic tree of ZIKV showing the African and Asian lineages, including the strains that recently emerged in the Pacific and Brazil.
FIG 7
FIG 7
Schematic flow diagram for Zika fever diagnosis. ZIKV RT-PCR is performed on blood (or on saliva if a blood sample is impossible to collect). If Flavivirus RT-PCR results are positive, sequencing is performed. ZIKV IgM serology consists of detection by ELISA or immunofluorescence, with confirmation by PRNT if the results are positive or equivocal.
FIG 8
FIG 8
Conjunctivitis and rash in Zika fever. Top left photo courtesy of H. P. Mallet, Department of Health of French Polynesia; top right, bottom left, and bottom right photos by V. M. Cao-Lormeau and E. Grange, Institut Louis Malardé.
FIG 9
FIG 9
Temporal association between cases of Zika fever (blue columns) and GBS (red line) during the French Polynesian outbreak.
FIG 10
FIG 10
Global distribution of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus.
None
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Dick GW, Kitchen SF, Haddow AJ. 1952. Zika virus. I. Isolations and serological specificity. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 46:509–520. - PubMed
    1. Macnamara FN. 1954. Zika virus: a report on three cases of human infection during an epidemic of jaundice in Nigeria. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 48:139–145. doi:10.1016/0035-9203(54)90006-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Faye O, Freire CC, Iamarino A, Faye O, de Oliveira JV, Diallo M, Zanotto PM, Sall AA. 2014. Molecular evolution of Zika virus during its emergence in the 20th century. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 8:e2636. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002636. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marchette NJ, Garcia R, Rudnick A. 1969. Isolation of Zika virus from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Malaysia. Am J Trop Med Hyg 18:411–415. - PubMed
    1. Monlun E, Zeller H, Le Guenno B, Traoré-Lamizana M, Hervy JP, Adam F, Ferrara L, Fontenille D, Sylla R, Mondo M, Digoutte JP. 1993. Arbovirus affecting humans in southeast Senegal: surveillance in humans and mosquitoes (1988–1991). Bull Soc Pathol Exot 86:21–28. (In French.) - PubMed