Impact of the Zika Virus on Brain Abnormalities

Discuss the evidence that Zika virus infection causes congenital brain abnormalities and Guillain-Barré syndrome

Zika Virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne RNA virus, transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes, primarily by Aedes mosquitoes species and is transmitted to humans via unprotected sex, blood transfusions, and vertical transmission through babies and infected pregnant women (Gubler & Musso, 2016). When a healthy mosquito bites an infected human ZIKV replicates in the salivary glands of mosquitoes and the virus passed down the transmission cycle (Kublin & Whitney, 2018). The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) of ZIKV is about 15 days but these symptoms are generally mild and difficult to detect (Gubler & Musso, 2016). ZIKV destroys the neurones in the brain, WHO reported large numbers of adults with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and babies born with microcephaly (WHO, 2017). Recent studies suggest that ZIKV travels from the placenta of infected mothers to damage the neurones in the foetal brains (Wen, et al., 2017). Infection of the brain occurs during early stages of development and in natal/neonatal of maturation (Van den Pol, et al., 2017). There is strong evidence supporting the link between ZIKV causing congenital brain abnormalities and GBS.

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ZIKV targets and destroys neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs can differentiate and proliferate into any type of cell in the brain) in the developing brain and activates innate immune response resulting in increased apoptosis (cell death), disrupted cell cycle, decreased number of cells, and decrease in specialized cell types (Wen, et al., 2017). Damage to neurones in foetal brains leads to neurological syndromes associated with ZIKV including GBS, acute myelitis (affects the spinal cord with acute onset of autonomic, motory, and sensory dysfunction – Donovan & DePiero, 2017), encephalitis (acute inflammation of the brain – Kennedy, et al., 2017) and brain ischemia (Gebre, et al., 2016).

Microcephaly is the most common congenital neurological disorder caused by ZIKV that reduces brain size and intellectual functioning (learning, reasoning, problem solving), social/practical skills as the brain develops (Wen, et al., 2017). Figure 1 shows a normal infant on the left and the progression of microcephaly from moderate to severe to the right. On average, the typical head size decreases in circumference from moderate to severe in infants infected with ZIKV.