Entries by melina

Fifth meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) regarding microcephaly, other neurological disorders and Zika virus

The Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) declared by the Director-General of WHO has led the world to an urgent and coordinated response, providing the understanding that Zika virus infection and associated consequences represent a highly significant long-term problem that must be managed by WHO, States Parties and other partners in a way that […]

Estudo mostra casos de bebês infectados com zika que desenvolveram microcefalia após o nascimento

Alguns bebês infectados pelo vírus da zika nascem aparentemente saudáveis, mas têm malformações cerebrais e depois desenvolvem a microcefalia, um crescimento da cabeça abaixo da média, segundo um estudo divulgado na terça-feira (22). Os Centros de Controle e Prevenção das Doenças dos Estados Unidos (CDC, na sigla em inglês) publicaram um estudo que descreve 13 […]

Zika virus infection damages the testes in mice

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection of pregnant women can cause congenital malformations including microcephaly, which has focused global attention on this emerging pathogen. In addition to transmission by mosquitoes, ZIKV can be detected in the seminal fluid of affected males for extended periods of time and transmitted sexually. Here, using a mouse-adapted African ZIKV strain (Dakar […]

Zika virus in the female genital tract

In this Correspondence, we show that Zika virus RNA might be present in the female genital tract up to day 11 after symptoms onset, but with a genital clearance observed at day 17 before urine clearance. Zika virus clearance from the female genital tract needs to be assessed by large and longitudinal studies with infectiousness […]

A Lipidomics Approach in the Characterization of Zika-Infected Mosquito Cells: Potential Targets for Breaking the Transmission Cycle

Recent outbreaks of Zika virus in Oceania and Latin America, accompanied by unexpected clinical complications, made this infection a global public health concern. This virus has tropism to neural tissue, leading to microcephaly in newborns in a significant proportion of infected mothers. The clinical relevance of this infection, the difficulty to perform accurate diagnosis and […]

Complete Genome Sequence of Zika Virus Isolated from Semen

Using an unbiased metagenomic sequencing approach, we report here the first complete genome sequence of ZIKV isolated from a clinical semen sample. Sequence data for the virus isolated from a clinical semen sample align well with other sequences of ZIKV from the outbreak, including those from the Caribbean region, where the patient acquired the infection. […]

DNA Microarray Platform for Detection and Surveillance of Viruses Transmitted by Small Mammals and Arthropods

In this study, we describe a DNA microarray platform that can be used for screening all viruses transmitted by small mammals and arthropods (SMAvirusChip) with nucleotide sequences that have been deposited in the GenBank. SMAvirusChip was designed with more than 15,000 oligonucleotide probes (60-mers), including viral and control probes. Two SMAvirusChip versions were designed: SMAvirusChip […]

Nonstructural Proteins Are Preferential Positive Selection Targets in Zika Virus and Related Flaviviruses

ZIKV encodes a polyprotein that is processed to produce three structural and seven nonstructural (NS) proteins. We investigated the evolution of the viral polyprotein in ZIKV and in related flaviviruses (DENV, Spondweni virus, and Kedougou virus). After accounting for saturation issues, alignment uncertainties, and recombination, we found evidence of episodic positive selection on the branch […]

Culex quinquefasciatus from Rio de Janeiro Is Not Competent to Transmit the Local Zika Virus

The southern house mosquito Cx. quinquefasciatus from Rio de Janeiro was not competent to transmit local strains of ZIKV. Thus, there is no experimental evidence that Cx. quinquefasciatus likely plays a role in the ZIKV transmission. Consequently, at least in Rio, mosquito control to reduce ZIKV transmission should remain focused on Ae. aegypti. Read more

Contribution of intertwined loop to membrane association revealed by Zika virus full‐length NS1 structure

Here, we report the crystal structure of the full‐length ZIKV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1), a major host‐interaction molecule that functions in flaviviral replication, pathogenesis, and immune evasion. Of note, a long intertwined loop is observed in the wing domain of ZIKV NS1, and forms a hydrophobic “spike”, which can contribute to cellular membrane association. For […]