Author(s)

Lawrence Broxmeyer^*, Refik Kanjhan

School of Biomedical Sciences Brisbane, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that brain abnormalities in infants with laboratory-confirmed Zika infection include microcephaly, disrupted brain growth, intracranial calcifications, and abnormal eye findings—it is not known presently if the Zika virus itself causes any of these. In a recent 2016 review of Zika dealing with possible brain abnormalities appearing with Zika, Melo et al. mention that among the Flaviviruses, which Zika is, such brain insults and pathologic findings are practically unheard of. Melo et al. conclude that until more cases are diagnosed and more histopathological proofs are obtained, the possibility of other causes besides Zika cannot be ruled out. This paper considers just such other possible causes that have, to this point, escaped general notice. The Aedes aegypti and other Aedes species can transmit tiny viral-like, cell-wall-deficient mycobacterial forms, independent of viruses, yet prevalent in the very same Rhesus Monkey used in the original 1952 Zika communication—which spoke of “A filterable transmissible agent”. In addition, the universal fetal prenatal vaccination of Brazilian neonates is considered, strongly discouraged by The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, which forbids BCG vaccination of pregnant women and those immunosuppressed or already having tuberculosis (TB) or AIDS. And finally thought is focused on the prime candidate itself, towards explaining what an alternative cause for “Zika” might look like—an infectious agent with transmissible, filterable, viral-like forms. One which can be transmitted by the very same Aedes mosquitoes that carry Zika—one that is neurotrophic, and extremely prevalent in Brazil—and that can disrupt brain growth, cause microcephalus, cause a fever, is sexually transmissible, instigates Guillain-Barré syndrome and causes cranial calcifications—the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, which includes the Mycobacterium africanum prevalent, yet completely ignored, in the Rhesus monkeys used in the original Zika study.

The Zika Virus, Microcephaly, Aedes aegypti, Flaws in Zika Diagnosis, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

Broxmeyer, L. and Kanjhan, R. (2016) Does Zika Really Have the Capacity to Affect the Nervous System and Cause Microcephaly or Intracranial Calcifications?. Modern Research in Inflammation, 5, 20-30. doi: 10.4236/mri.2016.52003.