Evolution of the innate and adaptive immune response in women with acute Zika virus infection

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus that is closely related to other human pathogens, such as dengue virus (DENV)¹. Primary transmission usually involves Aedes aegypti, which has expanded its distribution range considerably², although rarer infection routes, including mother-to-fetus transmission, sexual contact and blood transfusion, have also been observed^3,4,5,6,7. Primary ZIKV infection is usually asymptomatic or mild in adults, with quickly resolved blood viraemia, but ZIKV might persist for months in saliva, urine, semen, breast milk and the central nervous system^8,9,10,11,12. During a recent ZIKV outbreak in South America, substantial numbers of neurological complications, such as Guillain–Barré syndrome, were reported^13,14 together with cases of microcephaly and associated developmental problems in infants born to women infected with ZIKV during pregnancy^{15,<a data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" title="Rasmussen, S....}