News > Expanding Pathoplexus: Zika virus added
By the Pathoplexus Team - 26 August 2026
Today, Pathoplexus launches an additional viral pathogen: Zika virus. Zika virus (ZIKV) gets its name from Zika Forest in Uganda, where it was first identified in a Rhesus macaque monkey in 1947. It is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Flaviviridae family and genus Orthoflavivirus (species Orthoflavivirus zikaense). It is primarily spread through arthropod vectors (mainly Aedes mosquitoes), sexual intercourse, as well as mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy.
An infection with ZIKV usually causes mild disease and it is typically asymptomatic. Nevertheless, the infection may lead to rare but severe outcomes, including Guillain-Barré syndrome and other systemic and neurologic sequelae. Furthermore, the disease can cause serious birth defects among children born to mothers infected with the virus.
During the 2015–2016 outbreak in the Americas, it was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and according to the World Health Organisation, although the cases declined from 2017 onwards, ZIKV sporadic outbreaks continue to be detected and transmission remains persistent in several countries.
Zika virus can be categorised into two major lineages: the African and Asian lineages. The differences in the epidemic potential and pathogenicity of these viral lineages and strains remain poorly understood.
Pathoplexus aims to support sequence sharing to improve both understanding and response.
As with other organisms, you can share Zika virus data as Open immediately or specify that data be Restricted-Use for up to 1 year, before becoming Open. Restricted-Use data is still available but is restricted in how it can be used in publications or preprints. All Open data is sent on to INSDC-member databases.
We hope that by adding Zika virus to Pathoplexus we can support the response efforts for future outbreaks as well as understanding of the virus evolution. In addition, we hope to continue expanding the pathogens that Pathoplexus can support in the future.