Zika virus diagnosis: challenges and solutions

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Diagnostic Technologies

Background:

• Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in 2015, rapidly increasing research, particularly on its impact during pregnancy.
• The need for sensitive and specific diagnostic tools to assess fetal risk and understand ZIKV persistence is paramount.
• Outbreaks often occur in resource-limited settings, necessitating simple, reliable, and high-throughput diagnostic solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current knowledge on Zika virus persistence.
• To examine the challenges associated with ZIKV diagnostics.
• To summarize recent advancements in ZIKV detection methods.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed articles was conducted.
• Search terms included 'Zika,' 'ZIKV,' and various diagnostic techniques such as nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), ELISA, and point-of-care testing (POCT).
• The review incorporated authors' laboratory experience with diagnostic methods.

Main Results:

• The study covers ZIKV emergence, pathogenesis, persistence, and diagnostic complexities.
• It details established and novel laboratory diagnostic techniques.
• A review of current point-of-care testing (POCT) methods for ZIKV is presented.

Conclusions:

• Global surveillance and research for ZIKV have become highly coordinated.
• There is a critical need for simple, inexpensive, and high-throughput diagnostic assays for ZIKV, especially in resource-limited areas.
• The review catalogues current diagnostic options and evaluates their suitability for point-of-care application.