Phylogenetic analysis of the NS5 gene of Zika virus

ZIKV infection has become a global threat spreading across 31 countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. However, little information is available about the molecular epidemiology of ZIKV. Shared mutation of a threonine residue to alanine at the same position in the C terminal of NS5 sequences was observed in sequences from Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and Martinique. The sequences in the phylogenetic tree fell within the same cluster. Based on shared mutation the presence of a Latin American genotype was proposed. Comparison of African and Asian lineages yielded R29N, N273S, H383Q, and P391S mutation. The study highlights that mutation of amino acids at NS5 may contribute to neutropism of ZIKV. J. Med. Virol. 88:1821-1826, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.