Encephalitis and meningitis with concomitant ZIKV disease were seen in 0.8% and 0.5% of the cases, respectively, in our review, similar to a study performed in Colombia that linked ZIKV infection to six cases of pediatric encephalitis [14]. CZSencompasses congenital anomalies acquired by the baby due to maternal ZIKV infection during pregnancy[15].It Tepilamide fumarate includes microcephaly, brain and ocular anomalies, intrauterine growth restriction, congenital contractures, hypertonia Tepilamide fumarate with extrapyramidal symptoms, and delayed neurological development[3].About 90.7% of these cases present with convulsions and severe motor impairment in infancy and early childhood[15]. Out of 603 patients, the study suggested a male preponderance of 366 patients (62.5%) for ZIKV infection. About 258 patients presented with rash (46.1%), 243 with fever (43.8%), and 134 with dysphagia (36.5%). Neurological signs on examination were limb paresis in 545 (91.1%) patients, areflexia in 401 (88.9%) patients, and tetraparesis in 153 (61%) patients. A significant finding on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed enhancement of the distal cord, conus medullaris, and cauda equina in two cases (0.3%). Serological analysis showed a positive plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) in 125 (73.5%) patients. Increased protein levels were identified in 240 (78.7%) cases on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. The commonest diagnostic modality utilized was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 118 (24.3%) cases. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) were used for the medical management of 442 patients included in this review (77.4%). ZIKV is known to Rabbit Polyclonal to FRS3 cause insidious detrimental effects on the central nervous system regardless of the age of an individual. Being a cause of extreme sensorimotor disability, various preventive and precautionary measures are being undertaken to ensure early diagnosis and prevent prolonged liability on a patient’s health. Effective therapeutics including IVIg have Tepilamide fumarate paved the way in bringing down the hurdles in the management and cure of the infection. Keywords:encephalitis, fetal zika virus syndrome, guillain-barr syndrome, meningitis, microcephaly, neurological manifestations, zika virus == Introduction and background == The Zika virus (ZIKV), part of the Flaviviridae family, was first isolated in Uganda in 1947 [1,2]. Initially obscure, it gained global attention during its rapid spread across America from 2013 to 2016, with 440,000 to 1 1.3 million Tepilamide fumarate cases reported in Brazil, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a public health emergency. In the 1983s, a distinct strain of the virus spread from Africa to Asia. This Asian strain has led to epidemics in French Polynesia in 2007, 2013, and 2014 [1]. ZIKV is now prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of 87 countries. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic likely led to underreporting due to overwhelmed healthcare systems [2]. ZIKV is typically transmitted through the bite of an infectedAedesmosquito, but it can also spread through sexual contact, blood transfusions, and vertical transmission from mother to fetus. ZIKV infection is often asymptomatic or presents with mild symptoms, such as fever, rash, and joint pain. However, it can lead to severe neurological complications, notably congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), including birth defects like microcephaly, affecting about 80% of cases [3]. The 2013-2014 French Polynesia outbreak provided the first evidence of prenatal transmission; in 2015, ZIKV was found in the amniotic fluid of Brazilian women with microcephalic fetuses, with a 14-fold increase in microcephaly reported among infected mothers [4]. In adults, ZIKV infection has been associated with Guillain-Barr syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder causing symmetric muscle weakness, progressive paralysis, transverse myelitis, and meningoencephalitis [5]. Neuroimaging is crucial for identifying neurological manifestations of ZIKV, including post-contrast enhancement of cranial nerves (particularly facial and trigeminal), intracranial calcifications, and cortical thinning [6]. There is a crucial need to draw attention to the catastrophic neurological manifestations linked with ZIKV infection, which have received remarkably little attention. While ZIKV is commonly associated with moderate symptoms or congenital problems, its capacity to induce serious and possibly fatal neurological diseases in both pediatric patients and adults is highly concerning. Currently, PubMed lacks comprehensive reviews that cover the entire range of neurological manifestations and imaging findings Tepilamide fumarate associated with ZIKV. This review sought to address this vacuum by examining these crucial elements in-depth, emphasizing the grave risks posed by ZIKV on the central nervous system and directing future efforts to understand and minimize.