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Updated: Feb 28, 2026
Vector Competence Analyses on Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes using Zika Virus
Published on: May 31, 2020
Zika virus infection in a German traveller to the Maldives, August 2025
Hans Martin Orth1, David Meierkord2, Martha Charlotte Holtfreter1
1Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany.
Background:
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a neurotropic flavivirus associated with generally mild disease but the risk of congenital abnormalities when contracted during pregnancy. Reports from the Maldives are rare.
Methods:
We describe a ZIKV infection in a traveller returning from the Maldives in August 2025, including clinical findings and molecular diagnostics with metagenomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
Results:
ZIKV ribonucleic acid was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and sequencing identified the ZIKV Asian lineage. However, the limited sequence length precluded precise phylogenetic placement.
Conclusion:
This case underlines the ongoing risk of ZIKV transmission in areas where compatible arthropod vectors are present. Since there is no systematic surveillance in the Maldives, the detection of ZIKV infections in returning travellers is becoming increasingly important for assessing the epidemiological situation.
