Potential use of saliva samples to diagnose Zika virus infection

Serological diagnosis of ZIKV in countries where dengue virus (DENV) is endemic is challenging, because antibodies elicited by a prior DENV infection may cross-react against ZIKV. Therefore, molecular techniques, such as conventional or real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR/qRT-PCR), remain the reference methods for the diagnosis of ZIKV. However, the sensitivity of ZIKV RT-PCR in serum samples is not optimal due to low and short viremia. Here, we describe findings from a case series of acute febrile illness patient’s whose saliva and blood samples were tested for ZIKV by qRT-PCR.

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