Zika Virus (ZIKV): A New Perspective on the Nanomechanical and Structural Properties

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) from Flavivirus. In 2015, Brazil and other Latin American countries experienced an outbreak of ZIKV infections associated with severe neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), encephalopathy, and encephalitis. Here, a complete mechanical and structural analysis of the ZIKV has been performed using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). AFM analysis corroborated the virus mean size (~50 nm) and icosahedral geometry and revealed high mechanical resistance of both: the viral surface particle (~200 kPa) and its internal content (~800 kPa). The analysis demonstrated the detailed organization of the nucleocapsid structure (such as RNA strips). An interesting finding was the discovery that ZIKV has no surface self-assembling property. These results can contribute to the development of future treatment candidates and circumscribe the magnitude of viral transmission.