Zika Virus

Summary of seminar speech by Professor William Dobyns (MD) Title: Zika virus-associated microcephaly and fetal brain disruption

Zika virus has been gaining notoriety due to the recent Rio Olympics. It is not a new disease, in fact, it has been around for a long time. The first recorded case of Zika virus infection was in Uganda in 1947. Previous research and press coverage on the disease highlighted microcephaly in babies as the main detrimental effect of Zika virus. The speaker aimed to show the other less known facts and effects of Zika virus during the seminar. Zika virus is an RNA virus that belongs to genus Flavivirus which mostly cause exanthems. Although Zika virus has many vectors and

Most of the literature on the topic stopped at the microcephaly observed right after birth. So, the speaker started to conduct research on the effects of Zika after birth. The major target of Zika virus are neural progenitor cells, and it gains access to these cells through AXL receptors. Then it alters the formation of the skull by causing the frontal and parietal bones of the skull to collapse on each other leaving the occipital bone unpaired. Consequentially, the skull becomes deformed resulting in microcephaly with a bony cap. Infants with microcephaly due to Zika virus display symptoms related pathologies in neural development. The destruction of anterior horn cells that are responsible for coordinating movements of muscles leads to lack of muscle coordination(palsy) in these infants. Moreover, there is a significant elevation in the calcium level in the brain which is a result of escalated brain cell death. During the examination of the MRI scan of affected infants, the speaker observed brain minimal convulsions, malformation of the cerebral cortex, intracerebral calcification, an increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cerebellum and indicators of spastic quadriplegia ( a severe form of cerebral

The first question: Does Zika virus have any detrimental effects on the nervous system of adults? The speaker answered that adults do not have neural progenitor cells except for in the hippocampus which is responsible for memory and emotion; there isn’t any research that shows Zika virus’s detrimental effects on memory and emotion. Another question: Can highly active anti-retroviral therapy(HARRT) used for HIV treatment be applied to Zika virus infection since they both are RNA virus? The speaker replied that previous research has shown that HAART cannot be used to combat Zika virus. The speaker received other questions on issues that require further investigation and methods of prophylaxis. The speaker cautioned against traveling to South America and Central America during seasons when Aedes Aegypti is very active. All in all, this seminar was very informative about the various unknown effects of Zika virus and revealed the need for further research into the detrimental effects of Zika virus on pregnant women and their