Seroprevalence of Zika Virus IgM Antibodies in Pregnant Woman in Nigeria

Abstract

Backgrounds: In developing countries like Nigeria, screening of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnant women remains limited due to a lack of diagnostic facilities and non-specific symptoms, leading to potential misdiagnosis of the disease as other febrile illnesses such as malaria or typhoid. Materials & Methods: To address this issue, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anti-ZIKV IgM antibodies in pregnant women using enzyme-linked immunoassay. Additionally, the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay targeted a specific region of the membrane protein (prM) gene to detect Zika virus presence in the collected serum samples. For a period of four months from December 2021 to March 2022, a total of 360 serum samples were collected from pregnant women attending antenatal care units in two tertiary hospitals located in different regions of Nigeria. Findings: The results of this study revealed a prevalence of 17.2% (62 samples) for anti-ZIKV IgM antibodies among pregnant women. Further analysis using the RT-qPCR method detected Zika virus (prM gene) in 1.9% (7/62) of the serum samples. In addition to these virological results, the statistical analysis of sociodemographic data, clinical characteristics, and risk factors for ZIKV infection demonstrated a significant correlation between seropositivity and various factors including ethnicity, residence, occupation, and history of arboviral diseases (p< .005). Conclusion: Given the potential consequences of ZIKV infection in pregnant women, early diagnosis and intervention could improve maternal outcomes and prevent fetal abnormalities.