The zika virus and microcephaly.

Zika is a positive sense RNA genome containing virus that belongs to flavivirus genus that includes the West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus and several other viruses, which may also cause encephalitis. The illness it causes is similar to an extremely mild form of dengue fever, is treated by rest, and cannot yet be prevented by drugs or vaccines. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 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 abnormalities. Our review here also indicates that there is inconclusive evidence and unreliable sources of information directly relating Zika to microcephaly or intracranial calcifications in babies, and to Guillain–Barré syndrome in adults.
In a recent 2016 review of Zika dealing with possible brain abnormalities appearing with Zika, Melo et al. mentions that among the Flaviviruses, which Zika is, such brain insults and pathologic findings are practically unheard of with the exception of isolated reports linking West Nile Encephalitis to a few cases. Melo et al. concludes that until more cases are diagnosed and more histopathological proof obtained, the possibility of other causes besides Zika cannot be ruled out.
This paper considers just such other possible causes based upon available literature that has to this point escaped general notice. Consideration is thus given to the fact that Aedes egypti and other Aedes species can transmit tiny viral-like, cell-wall-deficient mycobacterial forms, independent of viruses, yet prevalent in the Rhesus Monkey used in the original 1952 Zika communication ― a paper which at one point spoke of Zika as “A filterable transmissible agent.” In addition consideration is given to the universal fetal prenatal vaccination of Brazilian neonates, strongly discouraged by The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, which outright states that among those who should definitely not get the BCG vaccine are pregnant women and those immunosuppressed or that already have tuberculosis (TB) or AIDS. And finally consideration is given in the form of a prime candidate for exactly what that other cause might look like ― an infectious agent with transmissible, filterable, viral-like forms.