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Review
. 2017 Dec 16;216(suppl_10):S860-S867.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix451.

History and Emergence of Zika Virus

Affiliations
Review

History and Emergence of Zika Virus

Duane J Gubler et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Zika virus was discovered in East Africa in 1947 by the Rockefeller Foundation during investigations on the ecology of yellow fever. Although it was subsequently shown to have widespread distribution in Africa and Asia, it was not known to cause epidemics until 2007. This paper describes the history of the virus discovery, emergence and evolution as an epidemic virus, and the its evolving clinical spectrum.

Keywords: Aedes aegypti; GBS; Zika; microcephaly; mosquito.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Significant events in the history of Zika virus (ZIKV). Abbreviations: DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; GBS, Guillain-Barré syndrome; RNA, ribonucleic acid; WHO, World Health Organization.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Geographic regions where Zika virus (ZIKV) is enzootic/endemic and has caused epidemics.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Phylogenetic tree of Zika virus based on 93 complete open reading frame sequences inferred using maximum likelihood methods.

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