Zika Virus Associated Microcephaly
- Background and Epidemiology
- Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus first isolated from monkeys in the Zika forest, Uganda, in 1947.
- An epidemic in 2015 significantly affected Central America and the Caribbean, with reports of severe congenital microcephaly in infants born to infected mothers.
- Notable outbreaks have occurred in the Pacific Islands, Brazil, and other regions of South America, highlighting its global health relevance.
- Clinical Presentation in Adults
- Symptoms typically resemble dengue fever, including:
- Fever
- Headache
- Arthralgia (joint pain)
- Myalgia (muscle pain)
- Maculopapular rash
- Most adult infections are mild or asymptomatic, complicating detection and prevention efforts.
- Impact on Fetal Development
- Zika virus infection during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester, is strongly associated with severe congenital abnormalities, most notably microcephaly.
- Microcephaly associated with Zika virus is characterized by significantly reduced head circumference and impaired brain development.
- The virus infects human embryonic cortical neural progenitor cells, disrupting brain development and causing neural progenitor cell death or dysfunction.
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