Comprehensive analysis of early T cell responses to acute Zika Virus infection during the first epidemic in Bahia, Brazil.

Background: In most cases, Zika virus (ZIKV) causes a self-limited acute illness in adults, characterized by mild clinical symptoms that resolve within a few days. Immune responses, both innate and adaptive, play a central role in controlling and eliminating virus-infected cells during the early stages of infection.

Aim: To test the hypothesis that circulating T cells exhibit phenotypic and functional activation characteristics during the viremic phase of ZIKV infection.

NK Cell Responses in Zika Virus Infection Are Biased towards Cytokine-Mediated Effector Functions.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that has emerged as a global concern because of its impact on human health. ZIKV infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other severe brain defects in the developing fetus and there have been reports of the occurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in areas affected by ZIKV. NK cells are activated during acute viral infections and their activity contributes to a first line of defense because of their ability to rapidly recognize and kill virus-infected cells.

Zika virus in the eye of the cytokine storm.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging arbovirus that causes a mosquito-borne disease. Although infection with ZIKV generally leads to mild disease, its recent emergence in the Americas has been associated with an increase in the development of the Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, as well as with neurological complications, in particular congenital microcephaly, in new-borns. Over the five past years, through the combined efforts of the scientific community, comprehensive remarkable progress aimed at deciphering the clinical, virological, physiopathological, and immunological features of ZIKV infection.

Functional capacity of natural killer cells in HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) patients.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system and provide surveillance against viruses and cancers. The ability of NK cells to kill virus-infected cells depends on the balance between the effects of inhibitory and activating NK cell receptors. This study aimed to investigate the phenotypic profile and the functional capacity of NK cells in the context of HTLV-1 infection.