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Because antibodies of the immunoglobulin M (IgM) class are generally relatively short lived in the circulation, their presence, as opposed to that of immunoglobulin G antibodies, is often considered an indication of recent or intercurrent infection. In the case of Zika virus infection, which exhibits its most damaging pathophysiology on the developing fetus, establishing whether the pregnant woman has been recently infected or is currently infected is of utmost importance.
Recent studies have determined that Zika virus IgM antibodies can persist for more than 12 weeks in a subset of patients, and in some cases may still be present at 4 months. Similar persistence has been shown for other flaviviruses, such as dengue and West Nile viruses. Fu…