Detection and sequencing of Zika virus in normocephalic newborns with congenital Zika infection

Abstract

Fourteen asymptomatic normocephalic newborns with confirmed congenital Zika infection were investigated. All newborns presented Zika virus (ZIKV) positivity on reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Following ZIKV-specific NS5 gene fragment sequencing in one child, phylogenetic analysis revealed that this isolate belonged to the Asian genotype, and clustered closely with other sequences previously isolated in north-east and northern regions of Brazil.

Keywords: Congenital infection; Phylogenetic analysis; Viral sequencing; Zika virus.