Zika, afebrile disease?

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Virology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Zika virus infection is typically characterized as a febrile illness.
• Recent observations indicate a declining incidence of fever in Zika cases.
• Variability in fever presentation necessitates exploring alternative diagnostic indicators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight probable atypical presentations of Zika virus infection.
• To identify potential clinical signs for diagnosing Zika in the absence of fever.
• To emphasize the diagnostic role of non-febrile symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical case data and relevant literature on Zika virus.
• Analysis of symptom prevalence in confirmed and suspected Zika cases.
• Correlation of specific symptoms with diagnostic confirmation.

Main Results:

• Fever is not a constant or universal symptom in all Zika virus cases.
• Nonpurulent conjunctivitis and rash emerge as significant indicators in afebrile Zika presentations.
• These symptoms can support a probable Zika diagnosis when fever is absent.

Conclusions:

• Atypical Zika virus presentations are increasingly recognized.
• Nonpurulent conjunctivitis and rash are valuable clinical criteria for probable Zika diagnosis in afebrile patients.
• Serological confirmation is crucial but may not always be feasible, underscoring the importance of clinical symptom assessment.