Il virus Zika (ZIKV) è un virus a RNA della famiglia Flaviviridae, genere Flavivirus, gruppo Spondweni, specie Zika, isolato per la prima volta nel 1947 da un primate in Uganda, nella Foresta Zika. Negli ultimi anni la malattia si è poi diffusa in tutti i continenti, Europa inclusa.
Il virus è strettamente correlato a quelli che provocano la dengue, la febbre gialla, l’encefalite del Nilo occidentale e l’encefalite giapponese, tutti trasmessi principalmente da punture di insetto e pertanto definiti arbovirus.
Esso è trasmesso da numerose zanzare del genere Aedes, negli ambienti equatoriali soprattutto la Aedes aegypti e in quelli temperati la Aedes albopictus (zanzara tigre).
16 November 2017
Zika Virus: A Review for Pediatricians
For the past several years, the Zika virus has been a topic of conversation among pediatric health care providers in many settings. This article provides current answers to many questions that may be posed to pediatricians, including inquiries about clinical presentation, testing, and prevention. Although infants born with congenital Zika syndrome often have microcephaly, there […]
19 September 2017
No molecular or serological evidence of Zikavirus infection among healthy blood donors living in or travelling to regions where Aedes albopictus circulates
Given the devastating complications, serious fetal abnormalities and autoimmune peripheral polyneuropathy caused by Zika virus infection (ZKV), this was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) global health emergency.ZKV infection vector are mainly mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. In addition to the well-known Aedes Aegypti frequent in equatorial and sub-equatorial regions also the most common, […]
6 September 2017
Early detection of perceived risk among users of a UK travel health website compared with internet search activity and media coverage during the 2015-2016 Zika virus outbreak: an observational study.
The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas in 2015-2016 posed a novel global threat. Timely information about the spread of the disease is paramount to public health bodies issuing travel advisories. This paper looks at the online interaction with a national travel health website during the outbreak and compares this to trends in internet […]
16 March 2017
A nanotechnological platform for the diagnosis of infection by Zika Virus
The spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) in endemic areas and modes of transmission and symptoms pretty much comparable to those of Dengue virus makes it important to a proper differential diagnosis and the correct identification of the viral agent, for formidable potential neurological complications fetal (see articles 30 March, May 4, June 13, August 2, […]
16 January 2017
Virus inactivation of plasma-derived products is effective against Zika-virus
In 2016 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern. Recently, the prestigious journal Transfusion published the results of a study in which it was demonstrated that the viral inactivation of plasma-derived products with solvent/detergent and pasteurization is effective also against Zika virus. Kuhnel D et […]
24 November 2016
Zika virus: the first encouraging step towards a vaccine
The rapid and ongoing geographic and epidemiological diffusion of infection by Zika virus (ZIKV) from October of 2013 (from French Polynesia to Brazil and to other countries of the Americas, with sporadic spreading in Europe and in the East), has long been signalled as global emergency for public health (article link February 3, 2016). By […]
9 September 2016
Thrombocytopenia and Zika virus infection
The international scientific journal Lancet has recently published the case of a 54-year-old woman who suffered from a flu-like syndrome and hemorrhagic skin diathesis after a travel in Central America. Laboratory tests showed a severe thrombocytopenia (10000/mmc) associated with zika virus infection. This is the first case reported in literature of a such association. Lancet. […]
4 May 2016
Zika virus and autoimmunity: From microcephaly to Guillain-Barré syndrome, and beyond
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy may be linked to fetal neurological complications that include brain damage and microcephaly. How the viral infection relates to fetal brain malformations is unknown. This study analyzes ZIKV polyprotein for peptide sharing with human proteins that, when altered, associate with microcephaly and brain calcifications. Results highlight a vast viral […]