Origin, dissemination and entry of the pandemic Zika viruses

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a previously-neglected, but newly-emerging zoonotic pathogen that has swept most of the western hemisphere. The unexpected attention aroused worldwide lies in the explosive spread of ZIKV to Brazil and USA in 2015 and its rare correlation to microcephaly in newborns, raising a serious challenge to public health. We show the origin and fast dissemination of these epidemic ZIKA isolates. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all the newly-emerging ZIKV isolates belong to the Asian-American Lineage. Structural analyses of the ZIKV E surface protein suggested that it might adopt a similar entry mechanism to that of other Flavi-viruses like Dengue Virus and West Nile Virus.