J Korean Med Sci.  2016 Jul;31(7):1173-1177. 10.3346/jkms.2016.31.7.1173.

First Imported Case of Zika Virus Infection into Korea

• Jang HC
• Park WB
• Kim UJ
• Chun JY
• Choi SJ
• Choe PG
• Jung SI
• Jee Y
• Kim NJ
• Choi EH
• Oh MD

• KMID: 2373741
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2016.31.7.1173

Abstract

Since Zika virus has been spreading rapidly in the Americas from 2015, the outbreak of Zika virus infection becomes a global health emergency because it can cause neurological complications and adverse fetal outcome including microcephaly. Here, we report clinical manifestations and virus isolation findings from a case of Zika virus infection imported from Brazil. The patient, 43-year-old Korean man, developed fever, myalgia, eyeball pain, and maculopapular rash, but not neurological manifestations. Zika virus was isolated from his semen, and reverse-transcriptase PCR was positive for the virus in the blood, urine, and saliva on the 7th day of the illness but was negative on the 21st day. He recovered spontaneously without any neurological complications. He is the first case of Zika virus infection in Korea imported from Brazil.

Keyword

Zika Virus; Travel; Virus Shedding; Brazil; Korea

MeSH Terms

Adult
Brazil
Humans
Male
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
RNA, Viral/analysis/blood/urine
Republic of Korea
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Saliva/virology
Semen/virology
Travel
Zika Virus/genetics/*isolation & purification
Zika Virus Infection/*diagnosis/virology
RNA, Viral

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Clinical manifestation and virus shedding. (A) Maculopapular rash on the trunk and palm. (B) Time course of symptom, sign and the results of Zika virus RT-PCR. +, positive; −, negative.

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  Fig. 2 Isolation of Zika virus from semen sample. (A) Temporal change of cycle threshold (Ct) value for Zika virus RT-PCR in the culture of first passage. (B) Transmission electron microscopy image of Vero cells infected with Zika virus. White arrows denote virus particles. Black scale bar indicates 200 nm. (C, D) Immunofluorescence assay shows that Zika virus-infected Vero cells reacted with human convalescent anti-Zika virus IgG-positive serum (C) and did not with control serum (D). White scale bar denotes 100 μm.

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