A new threat to human reproduction system posed by Zika virus (ZIKV): From clinical investigations to experimental studies

Xiangdong Li; Wenqiang Ma; Gary Wong; Shuoqian Ma; Shihua Li; Yuhai Bi; George F Gao

doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2017.09.005

A new threat to human reproduction system posed by Zika virus (ZIKV): From clinical investigations to experimental studies

Virus Res. 2018 Aug 2:254:10-14. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2017.09.005. Epub 2017 Sep 8.

Authors

Xiangdong Li¹, Wenqiang Ma², Gary Wong³, Shuoqian Ma², Shihua Li³, Yuhai Bi³, George F Gao⁴

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: xiangdongli@cau.edu.cn.
² Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology & Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology & Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, China. Electronic address: gaof@im.ac.cn.

PMID: 28893652
DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2017.09.005

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) was first isolated in 1947 from a rhesus monkey in the Zika forest of Uganda. ZIKV has since been silently circulating in a number of equatorial countries for over 50 years. The largest outbreak in humans occurred in Brazil in 2015-2016. Unlike its flavivirus relatives, sexual and post-transfusion transmissions of ZIKV have been reported. In addition, fetal infection can result in microcephaly and congenital Zikv syndrome has been reported in neonates. Moreover, ZIKV RNA can persist for at least 6 months in semen and 11 weeks in vaginal secretions after the infection, suggesting potential tropism for the male and female genital tracts. Accordingly, it is important to determine whether genital ZIKV infection could have deleterious effects on the male and female reproductive systems.

Keywords: Animal models; Reproductive system; Zika virus.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Female
Humans
Infertility, Female / pathology
Infertility, Female / virology*
Infertility, Male / pathology
Infertility, Male / virology*
Male
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / virology*
Reproduction
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / virology*
Zika Virus / isolation & purification
Zika Virus / pathogenicity*
Zika Virus Infection / immunology
Zika Virus Infection / transmission
Zika Virus Infection / virology*