PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Marina Galvão Bueno
AU  - Nádia Martinez
AU  - Lívia Abdala
AU  - Claudia Nunes Duarte dos Santos
AU  - Marcia Chame
TI  - Animals in the Zika virus life cycle: what to expect from megadiverse Latin American countries
AID  - 10.1101/062034
DP  - 2016 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 062034
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/07/08/062034.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/07/08/062034.full
AB  - Zika virus (ZIKV) was first isolated in 1947 in primates in Uganda, West Africa. The virus remained confined to the equatorial regions of Africa and Asia, cycling between infecting monkeys, arboreal mosquitoes, and occasional humans. The ZIKV Asiatic strain was probably introduced into Brazil in 2013. In the current critical human epidemic in the Americas, ZIKV is transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, especially where the human population density is combined with poor sanitation. Presently, ZIKV is in contact with the rich biodiversity in all Brazilian biomes, bordering on other Latin American countries. Infections in Brazilian primates have been reported recently, but the overall impact of this virus on wildlife in the Americas is still unknown. The current epidemic in the Americas requires knowledge on the role of mammals, especially non-human primates, in ZIKV transmission to humans. The article discusses the available data on ZIKV in host animals, besides issues of biodiversity, rapid environmental change, and impact on human health in megadiverse Latin American countries. The authors reviewed scientific articles and recent news stories on ZIKV in animals, showing that 47 animal species from three orders (mammals, reptiles, and birds) have been investigated for the potential to establish a sylvatic cycle. The review aims to contribute to epidemiological studies and the knowledge on the natural history of ZIKV. The article concludes with questions that require urgent attention in epidemiological studies involving wildlife in order to understand their role as ZIKV hosts and to effectively control the epidemic.