Acute Zika infection can damage nerves: study

In a first, scientists have found that acute Zika virus infection can cause sensory polyneuropathy - degeneration of peripheral nerves that are associated with feeling.
Concerned about the increasing number of neurological complications related to the Zika virus, the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) has recently established a forum to contribute expertise to the coordinated global response to the Zika crisis.
A team of researchers, who were a part of the WFN Work Group, described the first case of sensory polyneuropathy associated with acute Zika virus infection.
A large percentage of people suffering from Zika virus infections are asymptomatic or show only mild symptoms. However, potential neurological complications can be dramatic, researchers said.

"Zika virus infection has become a new emergent neuropathological agent with several neurological complications," said John England, Chair of the WFN Work Group.
"Outbreaks of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) associated with Zika virus infections have been reported as well as a high occurrence of a syndrome associated with congenital Zika virus infection, mainly microcephaly with brain malformations," said England, from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centre (LSUHSC) in the US.

"Other neurological complications associated with Zika virus infections have also been reported such as meningoencephalitis, or acute myelitis," he said.
"Clinicians should be aware that Zika virus infection can also cause an acute infectious sensory polyneuropathy," said Marco T Medina, from the National Autonomous University of Honduras.

"Our patient is the first confirmed Zika infection case report associated with an acute sensory polyneuropathy which began during the acute infectious phase," said Medina, also a member of the WFN Zika Work Group.
"This suggests a probable direct viral inflammatory process affecting sensory nerves, but an autoimmune etiology cannot be definitely excluded," he said.
Current WHO statistics reported an ongoing transmission of infections by mosquitoes in 70 countries and territories by the reference date of August 25, 2016, researchers said.
Since February 2016, eleven countries have reported human-to-human transmissions with a high probability that these transmissions were sexual.
Microcephaly and other malformations of foetuses that can be connected to a Zika infection have been recorded already in 20 countries.

In 18 countries, there has been a striking increase in the number of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) or confirmed infections among GBS sufferers.
The research was published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.