Zika Virus Net is the web resource for anyone interested in Zika virus. Zika virus (ZIKV) is an insect-borne virus, of the flavivirus genus, that is spread by Aedes mosquitoes. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease (Zika) are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eye. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon. The symptoms of Zika are similar to those of dengue and chikungunya, which are diseases caused by other viruses spread by the same type of mosquitoes. Zika virus can be spread from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby. There have been reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. On February 1st, 2016, the WHO declared the Zika outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). As of August 2017 the number of new Zika virus cases in the Americas had fallen dramatically.

The objectives of Zika Virus Net are to be the public and professional information resource for zika fever and to serve as a network in the exchange of information and news related to zika.

• Zika hasn't disappeared – here's why it should stay on our radar - Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
  Mon, 26 Sep 2022 07:00 GMT
• Zika Vaccine Targeting Nonstructural Viral Proteins Found Effective in Mice - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
  Thu, 29 Sep 2022 08:00 GMT
• How human cells become Zika virus factories - La Jolla Institute for Immunology
  Mon, 12 Sep 2022 07:00 GMT
• Prevalence of microcephaly and Zika virus infection in a pregnancy cohort in Kenya, 2017–2019 - BMC Medicine - BMC Medicine
  Wed, 14 Sep 2022 07:00 GMT
• Funding cut for UTRGV mosquito testing program - KRGV
  Tue, 04 Oct 2022 04:00 GMT
• The Forgotten Virus: Zika Families and Researchers Struggle for Support - The New York Times
  Tue, 16 Aug 2022 07:00 GMT
• A single mutation could make Zika virus a lot more dangerous - New Scientist
  Tue, 12 Apr 2022 07:00 GMT
• How dengue and Zika infections could make people more attractive to mosquitoes - STAT
  Thu, 30 Jun 2022 07:00 GMT
• Zika evades early pregnancy protections, MSU research shows - MSUToday
  Thu, 28 Jul 2022 07:00 GMT
• Zika vector competence data reveals risks of outbreaks: the contribution of the European ZIKAlliance project - Nature.com
  Tue, 02 Aug 2022 07:00 GMT
• Global trends in research on the effects of climate change on Aedes aegypti: international collaboration has increased, but some critical countries lag behind - Parasites & Vectors - Parasites & Vectors
  Thu, 29 Sep 2022 09:47 GMT
• Mortality from Congenital Zika Syndrome — Nationwide Cohort Study in Brazil | NEJM - nejm.org
  Thu, 24 Feb 2022 08:00 GMT
• New smartphone clip-on can detect Zika virus in blood samples - Carle Illinois College of Medicine
  Wed, 24 Aug 2022 07:00 GMT
• Zika epidemiology update - February 2022 - World Health Organization
  Tue, 08 Feb 2022 08:00 GMT
• El Paso reports West Nile deaths as mosquitoes continue fall swarm - El Paso Matters
  Tue, 04 Oct 2022 23:11 GMT

• PRO/AH/EDR> Invasive mosquito - France (03): (BT)
  Mon, 06 Sep 2021 21:28:53 -0400
  Yellow Fever, Zika virus, Dengue, Chikungunya -- France
  A potentially deadly mosquito that can carry viruses such as yellow fever and Zika has been spotted in Brittany, northern France, sparking fears they may soon land on British shores. Asian tiger mosquitoes [_Aedes albopictus_] have been confirmed to be in the commune of Domagne in the department of Ile-et-Vilaine in western Brittany.
  Health authorities are preparing an intensive campaign to rid the area of the insects with strong insecticides.
  The creatures were 1st seen in France in the

• Detection of Dengue Virus 2 with Single Infected Mosquito Resolution Using Yeast Affinity Bionanofragments and Plasmonic SERS Nanoboxes Tue, 04 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  Dengue disease is an emerging global threat triggered by dengue virus (DENV) transmission, primarily by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The accurate surveillance and sensitive detection of DENV in mosquito populations are critical for the protection of human populations worldwide that are in the habitat of these mosquito species. There are four DENV serotypes with DENV2 reported to cause the most severe complications. There are limited ultrasensitive methods to early detect DENV2 mosquito infection...
• Not all mosquitoes are created equal: A synthesis of vector competence experiments reinforces virus associations of Australian mosquitoes Tue, 04 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  The globalization of mosquito-borne arboviral diseases has placed more than half of the human population at risk. Understanding arbovirus ecology, including the role individual mosquito species play in virus transmission cycles, is critical for limiting disease. Canonical virus-vector groupings, such as Aedes- or Culex-associated flaviviruses, have historically been defined using virus detection in field-collected mosquitoes, mosquito feeding patterns, and vector competence, which quantifies the...
• Serological cross-reactivity among common flaviviruses Mon, 03 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  The Flavivirus genus is made up of viruses that are either mosquito-borne or tick-borne and other viruses transmitted by unknown vectors. Flaviviruses present a significant threat to global health and infect up to 400 million of people annually. As the climate continues to change throughout the world, these viruses have become prominent infections, with increasing number of infections being detected beyond tropical borders. These include dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese...
• Nanovaccines to combat virus-related diseases Mon, 03 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  The invention and application of vaccines have made tremendous contributions to fight against pandemics for human beings. However, current vaccines still have shortcomings such as insufficient cellular immunity, the lack of cross-protection, and the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). Thus, the prevention and control of pandemic viruses including Ebola Virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Influenza A viruses, Zika, and current SARS-CoV-2 are still extremely challenging....
• Efficacy of native cyclopoid copepods in biological vector control with regard to their predatory behavior against the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus Sat, 01 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate a high predation potential of M. viridis against Ae. albopictus larvae, even though strong larval stage and mosquito species preferences were implicated. The integration of copepods as a promising biocontrol agent to the vector control strategy in Germany is therefore highly recommended, especially because of the excellent compatibility of copepods with the use of Bti. However, further research is required, concerning all the probable parameters that may impact...
• Zika virus non-structural protein 4B interacts with DHCR7 to facilitate viral infection Sat, 01 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  Zika virus (ZIKV) evolves non-structural proteins to evade immune response and ensure efficient replication in the host cells. Cholesterol metabolic enzyme 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) was recently reported to impact innate immune responses in ZIKV infection. However, the vital non-structural protein and mechanisms involved in DHCR7-mediated viral evasion are not well elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that ZIKV infection facilitated DHCR7 expression. Notably, the upregulated...
• Socioeconomic risk markers of congenital Zika syndrome: a nationwide, registry-based study in Brazil Thu, 29 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  While it is well known that socioeconomic markers are associated with a higher risk of arbovirus infections, research on the relationship between socioeconomic factors and congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) remains limited. This study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic risk markers and live births with CZS in Brazil. We conducted a population-based study using data from all registered live births in Brazil (Live Births Information System) linked with the Public Health Event Record...
• Myeloid cell interferon secretion restricts Zika flavivirus infection of developing and malignant human neural progenitor cells Thu, 29 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  Zika virus (ZIKV) can infect human developing brain (HDB) progenitors resulting in epidemic microcephaly, whereas analogous cellular tropism offers treatment potential for the adult brain cancer, glioblastoma (GBM). We compared productive ZIKV infection in HDB and GBM primary tissue explants that both contain SOX2+ neural progenitors. Strikingly, although the HDB proved uniformly vulnerable to ZIKV infection, GBM was more refractory, and this correlated with an innate immune expression...
• Comprehensive Molecular Interaction Studies to Construe the Repellent/Kill Activity of Geraniol During Binding Event Against Aedes aegypti Proteins Wed, 28 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  Aedes aegypti is an etiological agent for dengue, chikungunya, zika, and yellow fever viruses. With the advent of the use of natural alternatives as repellents, their precise mode of action during the event of binding is still unclear. Geraniol is one such bioactive natural that has been previously shown to have some insecticide properties. Thus, the present study aimed to understand the mechanism of the binding event of geraniol with the whole proteome of A. aegypti. Twenty protein target...
• Replication-Deficient Zika Vector-Based Vaccine Provides Maternal and Fetal Protection in Mouse Model Wed, 28 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0400
  Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne human pathogen, causes dire congenital brain developmental abnormalities in children of infected mothers. The global health crisis precipitated by this virus has led to a concerted effort to develop effective therapies and prophylactic measures although, unfortunately, not very successfully. The error-prone nature of RNA viral genome replication tends to promote evolution of novel viral strains, which could cause epidemics and pandemics. As such, our objective...