First report of autochthonous transmission of Zika virus in Brazil

TLDR

In early 2015, patients in northeastern Brazil exhibited mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia, prompting investigation in a dengue‑endemic region. Zika virus was identified in eight patients by RT‑PCR of serum samples and confirmed through DNA sequencing. The eight patients tested negative for dengue and chikungunya, but Zika virus of the Asian clade was confirmed, marking the first report of autochthonous Zika transmission in Brazil.

Abstract

In the early 2015, several cases of patients presenting symptoms of mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis and arthralgia were reported in the northeastern Brazil. Although all patients lived in a dengue endemic area, molecular and serological diagnosis for dengue resulted negative. Chikungunya virus infection was also discarded. Subsequently, Zika virus (ZIKV) was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction from the sera of eight patients and the result was confirmed by DNA sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the ZIKV identified belongs to the Asian clade. This is the first report of ZIKV infection in Brazil.