The Evolution and Challenge of the Zika virus and its Uncharted Territory in the Neurological Realm.

The Zika virus, an Aedes mosquito-borne flavivirus, was first identified in 1947 in Rhesus Monkeys in a vegetative region of Africa known as Zika. It is closely related to other flaviviruses such as dengue, yellow fever, West Nile and Japanese encephalitis viruses and shares a similar symptomology, namely malaise, headache, flushing, nausea and vomiting. Zika’s distinguishing feature is a macropapular rash covering the body with accompanying arthralgia. While relatives of Zika, namely Yellow Fever and Dengue, require infection of humans and monkeys to maintain themselves in mosquito populations, Zika relies solely on mosquitoes as its reservoir, with humans as occasional hosts. The true extent of its vectors and subsequent vector-host interactions still remains unknown. The known vector, the female Aedes mosquito, transmits infection by taking a blood meal from host, and is usually present below vegetation, below buildings, and in areas with standing water [1].