The Zika epidemics and transplantation

In the last few months an epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) has affected several countries, and it continues to spread rapidly. This virus was initially thought to cause only a mild febrile illness; however, the current epidemic has shown that it is associated with serious complications. Increasing reports are linking ZIKV to devastating conditions such as microcephaly in newborns and important neurologic syndromes. Although ZIKV infection has not yet been reported in transplant recipients, it is likely that it will be reported soon because of the number of transplants performed in affected areas and global travel. We discuss the effect of ZIKV in transplantation and propose recommendations to prevent donor-derived infections.