A face das pesquisas sobre o zika vírus

Abstract

The zika virus (ZIKV) was discovered in 1947 and remained 70 years without generating real health risks to the population. After the 2007 outbreak in Yap, Micronesia, the virus showed its ability to spread over long distances and reach a larger number of people. ZIKV can be transmitted to humans during the hematophagy of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and thus replicate rapidly, increasing viral load and spreading to other organs such as muscles and the brain. It remains unknown why the virus did not trigger an attack on adult neural cells. The main consequences of ZIKV infection are Guillain-Barré syndrome and, in the case of gestation, the risk of fetuses with compromised neurological development, directly associated with microcephaly. The present work aims to perform a bibliographic survey relating from the history and worldwide dissemination of ZIKV, as well as the diagnosis, treatment and consequences that the virus can cause. The search for the theme was carried out via the Internet through the Medline / PubMed and Science Direct databases, selecting 85 papers, mostly with scientific research on the ZIKV published between 1954 and 2017, as a chronological bibliographical review. The information about the present work was collected from the beginning of April 2016, extending until the end of the work. The present review allowed us to infer that Brazil has worrying characteristics regarding Zika, as an adequate environment for vector propagation. The current treatment for ZIKV is symptomatic only. Research on ZIKV is advancing in order to elucidate all mechanisms by which the virus promotes infection in man, aiming to develop a treatment and suitable vaccines.