Can in utero Zika virus exposure be a risk factor for schizophrenia in the offspring?

Objectives

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric illness that has been purported to be causally related to in utero infection of neurotropic organisms. For obvious ethical reasons, this hypothesis has never been tested prospectively in humans. However, with the recent introduction of Zika virus into the New World offers the opportunity to test the hypothesis of infection in schizophrenia.

Methods

This is a directed review examining the hypothesis. The literature relevant to Zika virus transmission in the New World, its biology and neurotropy is reviewed.

Results

Zika virus has been associated with a wide variety of neural tube and neuroanatomical abnormalities. In its original range, Zika is only infrequently associated with congenital anomalies, but in the New World, where the majority of the population has not developed immunity, infections are associated with a wide range of neurologic abnormalities.

Conclusions

The current outbreak of Zika virus in the Western Hemisphere, offers the opportunity to prospectively examine the congenital infection hypothesis of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.