Skip to main content
Anatolian Journal of Cardiology logoLink to Anatolian Journal of Cardiology
letter
. 2016 Jun;16(6):455–456. doi: 10.14744/AnatolJCardiol.2016.7140

Cardiac problem because of Zika virus infection: a possibility

Beuy Joob 1,, Viroj Wiwanitkit 1
PMCID: PMC5331386  PMID: 27282681

To the Editor,

Zika virus infection is the present global concern. The infection can cause acute febrile hemorrhagic fever and congenital defect (1, 2). In cardiology, the interesting question is whether there can be any cardiac problem because of Zika virus infection (3). Based on the recent autopsy report in death fetus, no heart involvement has been observed. However, based on the nanostructural consideration, the viral particle is approximately 40 nm, slightly smaller than dengue virus. Based on the previously published concepts in nanopathology (4), the direct invasion to the cardiac tissue to cause cardiac involvement is possible because the virus is so small that it can pass into the heart. The good evidence is seen in animal model study in the previous reports since 1958 (5). If the cardiac pathology exists, the problems should be similar to those seen in dengue.

graphic file with name AJC-16-455a-g001.jpg

Biochemist, MD. Meral Egüz's collections

References

  • 1.Joob B, Wiwanitkit V. Zika virus infection and dengue: A new problem in diagnosis in a dengue-endemic area. Ann Trop Med Public Health. 2015;8:145–6. [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Wiwanitkit S, Wiwanitkit V. Acute viral hemorrhage disease: A summary on new viruses. J Acute Dis. 2015;4:277–9. [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Sarno M, Sacramento GA, Khouri R, do Rosário MS, Costa F, Archanjo G, et al. Zika Virus Infection and stillbirths: A Case of hydrops fetalis, hydranencephaly and fetal demise. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016;10:e0004517. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004517. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Wiwanitkit V. Possible explanation for no evidence of carditis in human H5N1 infection. Int J Cardiol. 2010;144:120–1. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2008.12.114. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Weinbren MP, Williams MC. Zika virus: further isolations in the Zika area, and some studies on the strains isolated. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1958;52:263–8. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(58)90085-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Anatolian Journal of Cardiology are provided here courtesy of Turkish Society of Cardiology

RESOURCES