B-cell Epitope Mapping of Zika Virus in Mother–Newborn Immune Interaction: A Rare Insight into Immune Particularities During the Postnatal Period

In 2015, the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in Brazil caught the attention of the global community, as public health emergency. ZIKV, an Orthoflavivirus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, initially identified in 1947, has evolved from a historically inconspicuous pathogen to a significant public health concern. Beyond mild symptoms resembling Dengue fever, severe conditions such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome have been linked to ZIKV. In regions already burdened by arboviruses such as dengue virus (DENV), the co-circulation of these pathogens has created challenges for diagnosis and clinical management. Studies highlighted the simultaneous circulation of DENV and ZIKV, often following one another in both time and space. Pandemic strains of ZIKV have shown evidence of codon usage adaptations enhancing replication efficiency in human hosts, contributing to the virus's rapid global spread. Furthermore, the arbovirus outbreaks in Brazil were characterized by a wave-like pattern, where viral transmission appears to follow a coordinated sequence. Despite the critical public health implications of ZIKV, studies focusing on the detailed epitope mapping of ZIKV proteins remain scarce. This study aims to investigate the epitope mapping patterns of ZIKV polyprotein in IgG ZIKV-positive individuals, correlating with newborns’ maternal immune interaction by SPOT-synthesis. Notably, regions in proteins C, E, NS1, and NS5 exhibited high membrane reactivity and epitope recognition patterns. Additionally, C, E, NS1, and NS5 proteins displayed immunogenic potential with differential responses in newborns. The study enhances the understanding of ZIKV humoral immune response and suggests further investigations for epitope validation and potential vaccine development.