Comparison of Genetic Variations in Zika Virus Isolated From Different Geographic Regions

The Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the genus Flavivirus, together with Dengue virus, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus. The virus, which was first found in Africa in 1947, has spread across the world owing to a lack of effective drugs or vaccines. The complete genome sequence of ZIKV is now available; it includes three structural and seven non-structure genes arranged in the order of capsid, pre-membrane, envelope, NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5. Two geographically distinct lineages are known, i.e., Asian and African, but ZIKV exhibits differences in clinical progression among regions.