Article
A Zika virus envelope mutation preceding the 2015 epidemic enhances virulence and fitness for transmission.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America - 18 Aug 2020
Shan Chao, Xia Hongjie, Haller Sherry L, Azar Sasha R, Liu Yang, Liu Jianying, Muruato Antonio E, Chen Rubing, Rossi Shannan L, Wakamiya Maki, Vasilakis Nikos, Pei Rongjuan, Fontes-Garfias Camila R, Singh Sanjay Kumar, Xie Xuping, Weaver Scott C, Shi Pei-Yong
Abstract excerpt
Arboviruses maintain high mutation rates due to lack of proofreading ability of their viral polymerases, in some cases facilitating adaptive evolution and emergence. Here we show that, just before its 2013 spread to the Americas, Zika virus (ZIKV) underwent an envelope protein V473M substitution (E-V473M) that increased neurovirulence, maternal-to-fetal transmission, and viremia to facilitate urban transmission....
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