Symptoms of deficiency can include delayed or reduced cognitive and physical skills, seizures, and
congenital microcephaly 10.
Contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito or through sexual or other modes of transmission, Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can be prenatally passed from mother to fetus.1 The virus was first identified in the region of the Americas in early 2015, when local transmission was reported in Brazil.2 Six months later, a notable increase in the number of infants with
congenital microcephaly was observed in northeast Brazil.3, 4 Clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory evidence led investigators to conclude that intrauterine ZIKV infection was a cause of microcephaly and serious brain anomalies.5 - 7 However, as with other newly recognized teratogens, these features likely represent a portion of a broader spectrum.
They represent the greatest health crisis because a Zika infection during the first trimester confers the greatest risk of
congenital microcephaly.»
«How Zika virus induces
congenital microcephaly.»
Zika is transmitted primarily through mosquito bites and has been linked to
congenital microcephaly and other serious brain defects among babies born to mothers who had the virus.
Not exact matches
Mothers and families of infants born with
congenital anomalies (e.g.
microcephaly) should be supported to breastfeed their infants in line with WHO recommendations.
Although one of the most serious consequences of the Zika virus (ZIKV) in infants is
microcephaly, there is a broad collection of anomalies now known as
congenital Zika syndrome (CZS).
As most studies have only carefully examined infants with presumed or confirmed
congenital ZIKV infection who have
microcephaly, more studies are needed to understand ocular findings in those infants with
congenital ZIKV infection without
microcephaly.
«We've been seeing growing evidence of the association between Zika and
congenital central nervous system malformations, not just
microcephaly, since the first cases were picked up,» says Wim Van Bortel, senior expert on vector - borne diseases at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Solna, Sweden.
The team who found a range of fetal conditions beyond
microcephaly, all linked to the virus, suggest calling it Zika virus
congenital syndrome
«Thus, it is tempting to speculate that the alterations induced by Zika virus on the host cytoskeleton might be connected to the underlying physio - pathological mechanisms that link
congenital Zika virus infections to
microcephaly and neurodegenerative disorders.»
One in 150 babies in the U.S. is born with a
congenital CMV infection, and of those, one in five suffers from complications, according to the CDC, which can include including hearing loss, vision loss, cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments and
microcephaly.
As evidence grew for a causal link between Zika infection and
microcephaly and other serious
congenital anomalies (1), the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Latin American Zika epidemic a public health emergency of international concern in February 2016 (2).
Zika virus infection during pregnancy has been linked to
congenital brain abnormalities, including
microcephaly, and Zika virus is a trigger of Guillain - Barré syndrome.
While the Zika virus typically causes a relatively mild illness, infection during pregnancy can cause
microcephaly and other devastating
congenital malformations.
The study comes in the wake of an ongoing Zika epidemic and an explosion of cases involving fetal death,
microcephaly (born with severely decreased head size), and other
congenital birth defects.
«For couples wanting to get pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant there is a different balance of risks because of the dangers of
microcephaly and
congenital Zika syndrome.
The report demonstrates phenotypic variability in regard to the presence of observed
microcephaly as well as the degree of brain damage and affected brain structures with
congenital ZIKV infection.
Based on that, we recommend using the term
congenital Zika syndrome instead of
microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection, which involves a spectrum of changes, including other neurological and fetal development manifestations.
In the recent case series, most infants with probable
congenital ZIKV infection were noted to have craniofacial disproportion (95.8 %) and, to a lesser degree, biparietal depression (83.3 %), prominent occiput (75 %), and excess nuchal skin (47.9 %).38 Features supportive of the FBDS phenotype scattered through published reports include redundant scalp, 27,36,39,41 occipital prominence and / or overlapping sutures,14,20,22 - 24, 26,27,38 and typical craniofacial appearance with disproportion.13, 27,33,34,40 The FBDS phenotype is also prevalent in ZIKV - related media.47 Among infants with severe
microcephaly, the pattern appears to be consistent, although the degree of cranial vault deformation varies.
The 3 largest case series of infants with
microcephaly also reporting
congenital contractures found that, among 35, 48, and 52 infants with
microcephaly and presumed
congenital ZIKV infection, isolated clubfoot occurred in 14 %, 10.4 %, and 3.8 % and arthrogryposis in 11 %, 10.4 %, and 5.7 %, respectively.36 - 38 Among a series of 104 infants under clinical investigation, 7 (6.7 %) with presumed (5 infants) and laboratory - confirmed (2 infants)
congenital ZIKV infection had arthrogryposis; 6 of these infants had a head circumference of at least 2 SD below the mean.41 All had bilateral
congenital hip dislocation, which previously has been reported to occur in 30 % to 40 % of children with arthrogryposis of various etiologies and 3 of 7 had dislocation or partial dislocation of 1 or both knees.41, 57
Although many of the components of this syndrome, such as cognitive, sensory, and motor disabilities, are shared by other
congenital infections, 5 features differentiate CZS from other
congenital infections: (1) severe
microcephaly with partially collapsed skull; (2) thin cerebral cortices with subcortical calcifications; (3) macular scarring and focal pigmentary retinal mottling; (4)
congenital contractures; and (5) marked early hypertonia with symptoms of extrapyramidal involvement (Table).
The FBDS phenotype has been reported in an infant with laboratory - confirmed ZIKV infection, 13 in a neuroimaging report documenting cranial bone collapse in infants born to mothers with suspected ZIKV infection during pregnancy, 14 and a recent case series of infants with probable ZIKV - associated
microcephaly.38 In 3 of the largest case series reporting 35, 48, and 104 infants primarily with suspected
congenital ZIKV infection, 33,37,38 approximately two - thirds of infants had severe
microcephaly.
In fact, one family with a
congenital mutation in the Musashi - 1 gene has two children with
microcephaly, the researchers point out, adding further evidence that this protein is key to normal brain development.
«Among infants of mothers exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy, the absence of
microcephaly at birth does not rule out
congenital Zika virus infection or the presence of Zika - related brain abnormalities,» according to a news release from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other
congenital infections are known to cause hearing problems, but this is one of the first times its been documented among children with Zika - related
microcephaly.
Based on a newly published systematic review of current research, WHO has reaffirmed its position that Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of
congenital brain abnormalities, including
microcephaly, and refined its position on the relationship between Zika virus infection and Guillain - Barré syndrome, stating that Zika virus infection is a trigger of Guillain - Barré syndrome.