Emerging Infectious Diseases (Nov 2021)

Tracing the Origin, Spread, and Molecular Evolution of Zika Virus in Puerto Rico, 2016–2017

  • Gilberto A. Santiago,
  • Chaney C. Kalinich,
  • Fabiola Cruz-López,
  • Glenda L. González,
  • Betzabel Flores,
  • Aaron Hentoff,
  • Keyla N. Charriez,
  • Joseph R. Fauver,
  • Laura E. Adams,
  • Tyler M. Sharp,
  • Allison Black,
  • Trevor Bedford,
  • Esther Ellis,
  • Brett Ellis,
  • Steve H. Waterman,
  • Gabriela Paz-Bailey,
  • Nathan D. Grubaugh,
  • Jorge L. Muñoz-Jordán

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2711.211575
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 11
pp. 2971 – 2973

Abstract

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We reconstructed the 2016–2017 Zika virus epidemic in Puerto Rico by using complete genomes to uncover the epidemic’s origin, spread, and evolutionary dynamics. Our study revealed that the epidemic was propelled by multiple introductions that spread across the island, intricate evolutionary patterns, and ≈10 months of cryptic transmission.

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