Table 1 Characterization of the selected studies
Authors (year) | Type of study | Country | Period of Study | Aim of the study | Definition of Zika virus positive | Quality assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aragão, MFVV et al. (2017) [26] | Case-control | Brazil | Dec 2015 – Nov 2016 | “to review neuroimaging of infants to detect cases without microcephaly and compare them with those with microcephaly” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV IgM in cerebral spinal fluid and/or serum samples | Satisfactory |
Schaub, B et al. (2017) [27] | Case-control | Martinique | Jan 2016 – Nov 2016 | “to describe the early ultrasound markers and progression of the fetal cerebral insults during the pregnancy” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV RNA (RT-PCR) or ZIKV IgM or IgG in serum, amniotic fluid, placenta, amnion, cerebrospinal fluid, or brain samples | Satisfactory |
Krow-Lucal, ER et al. (2018) [28] | Case-control | Brazil | Aug 2015 – Feb 2016 | “to assess the association of microcephaly and Zika vírus” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV IgM in blood samples. Presumed infection also acceptable. | Satisfactory |
Honein, M A et al. (2017) [29] | Cohort | USA | Dec 2015 – Sep 2016 | “to estimate the preliminary proportion of fetuses or infants with birth defects after maternal Zika virus infection by trimester of infection and maternal symptoms” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV RNA (rRT-PCR), ZIKV IgM (PNRT ≥10) and either a DenV- IgM or a DenV PRNT< 10 (or both) in serum, placenta or other tissue samples | Good |
Kumar, M et al. (2016) [30] | Case-control | USA | 2009–2012 | “to find a link between ZIKV infection and babies born with microcephaly” in Hawaii | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV IgM and IgG in serum samples | Good |
Brasil, P et al. (2016) [31] | Cohort | Brazil | Sep 2015 – May 2016 | “to describe clinical manifestations in mothers and repercussions of acute ZIKV infection in infants” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV RNA (RT-PCR) in serum and/or urine samples | Good |
Pomar, L et al. (2017) [32] | Cohort | French Guiana | Jan 2015 – Jul 2016 | “to establish the incidence of fetal central nervous system (CNS) anomalies (including microcephaly), signs of congenital infection and fetal loss in pregnant women infected with Zika virus (ZIKV) and noninfected pregnant women in western French Guiana” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV RNA (RT-PCR) or ZIKV IgM or PRNT in serum, placenta, urine, amniotic fluid and fetal samples | Satisfactory |
Sanz Cortes, M et al. (2018) [33] | Cohort | Colombia | Dec 2015 – Jul 2016 | “(1) to assess the prevalence of microcephaly and the frequency of the anomalies that include a detailed description based on ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in fetuses and ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography imaging postnatally, (2) to provide quantitative measures of fetal and infant brain findings by magnetic resonance imaging with the use of volumetric analyses and diffusion-weighted imaging, and (3) to obtain additional information from placental and fetal histopathologic assessments and postnatal clinical evaluations” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV IgM or IgG in serum samples, if positive ZIKV RNA (RT-PCR) in serum and amniotic fluid offered | Satisfactory |
Shiu, C et al. (2018) [34] | Cohort | USA | Jan 2016 – Dec 2016 | “to assess clinical outcomes and challenges associated with Zika virus screening and testing” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV RNA (rRT-PCR), ZIKV IgM in serum, placenta or other tissue samples | Satisfactory |
Vargas, A et al. (2016) [35] | Case series | Brazil | Aug 2015 – Oct 2015. | “to describe the first cases of microcephaly possibly related to Zika virus in live born babies reported in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil” | Presumed infection | Satisfactory |
França, G V A et al. (2016) [36] | Case series | Brazil | Nov 2015 – Feb 2016** | “to describe these newborn babies in terms of clinical findings, anthropometry, and survival” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV RNA (RT-PCR) or ZIKV IgM or IgG in serum samples.Presumed infection also acceptable * | Low |
Ventura, L O et al. (2017) [37] | Cross-sectional | Brazil | May 2015 – Dec 2015 | “to describe the visual impairment associated with ocular and neurological abnormalities in a cohort of children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS)” | Laboratory evidence: ZIKV IgM in cerebral spinal fluid samples | Good |