Persistence of Anti-ZIKV-IgG over Time Is Not a Useful Congenital Infection Marker in Infants Born to ZIKV-Infected Mothers: The NATZIG Cohort.

Abstract

Confirming ZIKV congenital infection is challenging because viral RNA is infrequently detected. We compared the presence of anti-ZIKV-IgM and the persistence of anti-ZIKV-IgG antibodies over 18 months in two cohorts of infants born to ZIKV-infected mothers: Cohort one: 30 infants with typical microcephaly or major brain abnormalities (Congenital Zika Syndrome-CZS); Cohort two: 123 asymptomatic infants. Serum samples obtained within 6 months of age were tested for anti-ZIKV-IgM. Anti-ZIKV-IgG was quantified in sequential samples collected at birth, 3-6 weeks, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. ZIKV-RNA was never detected postnatally. Anti-ZIKV-IgM antibodies were detected at least once in 15/25 (60.0%; 95%CI: 38.7-78.9) infants with CZS and in 2/115 (1.7%; 95%CI: 0.2-6.1) asymptomatic infants. Although anti-ZIKV-IgG was always positive within 3-6 weeks of age, IgG levels decreased similarly over time in both cohorts. IgG levels decreased similarly in ZIKV-IgM-positive and ZIKV-IgM-negative CZS infants. Differently from other congenital infections, IgM would fail to diagnose 40% of severely symptomatic infants, and the persistence of IgG is not a useful marker for discriminating congenital infection among infants exposed to maternal ZIKV infection.

• Authors: Conrado Milani Coutinho, Juliana Dias Crivelenti Pereira Fernandes, Aparecida Yulie Yamamoto, Silvia Fabiana Biason de Moura Negrini, Bento Vidal de Moura Negrini, Sara Reis Teixeira, Fabiana Rezende Amaral, Márcia Soares Freitas da Motta, Adriana Aparecida Tiraboschi Bárbaro, Davi Casale Aragon, Magelda Montoya, Eva Harris, Geraldo Duarte, Marisa Márcia Mussi-Pinhata, For The Natzig Cohort Study Team
• Journal: Viruses (Viruses) Vol. 13 Issue 4 (04 20 2021) ISSN: 1999-4915 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 33924066 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Viral
• Immunoglobulin G
• Immunoglobulin M

Topics

• Antibodies, Viral (blood)
• Cohort Studies
• Female
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin G (blood)
• Immunoglobulin M (blood)
• Infant
• Infant, Newborn
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
• Zika Virus Infection (congenital, immunology)