Analysis of the presence of Zika virus in serum samples of symptomatic patients in the region of Mirassol - SP

• Grant number: 18/08726-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2018
• End date: August 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Marilia de Freitas Calmon
• Grantee: Bianca Lara Venâncio de Godoy
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Arbovirus (Arthropod-borne viruses) are virus transmitted by arthropods and have part of their replicative cycle in insects. Most of these virus that cause diseases in humans are of the genus Alphavirus (family Togaviridae) and Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae). The Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the genus Flavivirus. Its transmission occurs mainly by hematophagous mosquitoes, mainly those belonging to the genus Culex and Aedes. The ZIKV incubation period varies from 3 to 12 days after the infected mosquito bite. The main symptoms are low fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. Brazil, being a predominantly tropical country, provides a favorable environment for the development of vectors and, consequently, the occurrence of arboviruses. It is estimated that the first evidence of ZIKV in Brazil occurred in February 2014. ZIKV infection was declared an emergency in Public Health of National Importance due to cases of microcephaly in Brazil. From early 2018 until June 09, 4.571 probable cases of ZIKV fever were reported in the country, with only 36,6% confirmed. Furthermore, the means of diagnosis and surveillance of this virus are hampered by symptoms similar to other pathologies and extensive cross-reactivity in immunological tests. The diagnosis in symptomatic patients is indispensable, since when confirming the pathology, it also offers a correct prognosis. Thus, the objective of this project is to diagnose the presence of ZIKV, by nucleic acid identification of this virus through real-time PCR (RT-PCR), in serum and urine samples from symptomatic patients from the region of Mirassol-SP.