In:

The New England Journal of Medicine

Authors:

Adriano N. Hazin, M.D., Andrea Poretti, M.D., Danielle Di Cavalcanti Souza Cruz, M.D., Marli Tenorio, Ph.D., Ana van der Linden, M.D., Lindomar Jose Pena, M.D., Carlos Brito, M.D., Ph.D., Laura H. Vega Gil, Ph.D., Demócrito de Barros Miranda-Filho, Ph.D., Ernesto Torres de Azevedo Marques, M.D., Ph.D., Celina M. Turchi Martelli, M.D., Ph.D., João G. Bezerra Alves, M.D., Ph.D., Thierry A. Huisman, M.D.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquitoborne flavivirus that is transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.1 Starting in May 2015, an outbreak of ZIKV infection has been reported in Brazil in association with an increasing number of neonates with congenital microcephaly in ZIKV-affected regions.1
In these areas, the prevalence of congenital microcephaly increased by a factor of 20 over the prevalence before the outbreak.1 ZIKV RNA has been identified in the brain of a fetus with congenital microcephaly.2 In addition, ZIKV RNA was identified in the amniotic fluid of two women whose fetuses had congenital microcephaly detected on prenatal ultrasonography.1 These events and observations prompted concern about the possible association between congenital microcephaly and the recent outbreak of ZIKV infection in Brazil.3 Only limited imaging data about the brain anomalies that may be
associated with intrauterine ZIKV infection are available.

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