Managing emerging infectious diseases is a current challenge in the fields of microbiology and epidemiology. Indeed, among other environmental and human-related factors, climate change and global warming favor the emergence of new pathogens. The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic, of which the large and rapid spread surprised the scientific community, is a reminder of the importance to study viruses currently responsible for sporadic infections. Increasing our knowledge of key factors involved in emerging infections is essential to implement specific monitoring that can be oriented according to the pathogen, targeted population, or at-risk environment. Recent technological developments, such as high-throughput sequencing, genome-wide association studies and CRISPR screenings have allowed the identification of human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in infectious disease outcome. This review focuses on the human genetic host factors that have been identified and shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of ZIKV infection and candidate SNP targets.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2021.105066 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Institute for Antiviral Research, Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84321-5600, USA.
Zika virus (ZIKV) causes a variety of peripheral and central nervous system complications leading to neurological symptoms such as limb weakness. We used a mouse model to identify candidate genes potentially involved in causation or recovery from ZIKV-induced acute flaccid paralysis. Using Zikv and Chat chromogenic and fluorescence in situ RNA hybridization, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and ZIKV RT-qPCR, we determined that some paralyzed mice had infected motor neurons, but motor neurons are not reduced in number and the infection was not present in all paralyzed mice; hence infection of motor neurons were not strongly correlated with paralysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanomedicine (Lond)
January 2025
Clinical Laboratory Science Section, Institute of Medical Science Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Phytochemicals are typically natural bioactive compounds or metabolites produced by plants. Phytochemical-loaded nanocarrier systems, designed to overcome bioavailability limitations and enhance therapeutic effects, have garnered significant attention in recent years. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has intensified interest in the therapeutic application of phytochemicals to combat viral infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Importance: Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) can lead to a range of developmental and neurological issues, which increases the risk of early death. However, the all-cause and cause-specific mortality in children with CZS in the first 5 years of life remain unknown.
Objective: To compare the hazard of all-cause and cause-specific mortality before age 5 years among children with and without CZS in Brazil.
mBio
January 2025
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
Unlabelled: Climate change is predicted to increase the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, but genetic mechanisms underlying the influence of environmental variation on the ability of insect vectors to transmit human pathogens is unknown. In response to a changing climate, mosquitoes will experience longer periods of drought. An important physiological response to dry environments is the protection against dehydration, here defined as desiccation tolerance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfect Dis Rep
January 2025
Virus-Cell Interactions Laboratory, Institut Pasteur of Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.
: Zika disease is caused by the Zika virus (ZIKV) and represents a major public health problem because of the complications in newborn babies from mothers who were infected during pregnancy. It is estimated that 80% of infected pregnant women are asymptomatic, which complicates the identification of infected individuals. In this study, we aimed to detect ZIKV in asymptomatic pregnant women and the effects in the newborns were analyzed.
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