title: Confirmed Zika virus infection in a Belgian traveler returning from Guatemala, and the diagnostic challenges of imported cases into Europe.
abstract: We report the first laboratory-confirmed Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in a Belgian traveler after a three week holiday in Guatemala, December 2015. This case along with other imported cases into Europe emphases once again the need for accurate diagnostic tools for this rapidly emerging virus. The challenge is to diagnose patients in the acute phase, which appears short, as serological testing is complicated by cross-reactivity, vaccination status and scarce availability of specific ZIKV tests.
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Arboviruses, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Smet
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Arboviruses, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dorien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Van den Bossche
authors.affiliation: Travel Clinic, Clinique Saint-Pierre, Ottignies, Belgium.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van de Werve
authors.affiliation: Biologie Clinique, Clinique Saint-Pierre, Ottignies, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mairesse
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, National Reference Centre for Tropical Infectious Diseases, Bernhard- Nocht, Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Chanasit
authors.affiliation: Unit of Virology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michiels
authors.affiliation: Unit of Virology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kevin K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Ariën
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Arboviruses, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Esbroeck
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Arboviruses, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: lcnops@itg.be.
authors.forename: Lieselotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cnops
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D005260:Female; D006166:Guatemala; D006801:Humans; D000076082:Travel-Related Illness; D000071244:Zika Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Europe; Import; Real-time RT-PCR; Zika virus