General movements and motor outcomes in two infants exposed to Zika virus: brief report

ABSTRACT

Objective: We described the general movements (GMs) in the fidgety period and the motor performance of two infants who were exposed to Zika virus (ZIKV) during distinct trimesters of gestation.

Methods: Infants were assessed at 4 and 12 months of age. Prechtl's GM assessment and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale were used.

Results: In Case 1, the mother presented confirmed ZIKV infection in the 10th week of gestation and the infant was born full-term with brain abnormalities and microcephaly. Fidgety movements were absent at 16 weeks after term and motor development was severely impaired at 12 months of age. In Case 2, the mother presented confirmed ZIKV infection in the 34th week of gestation and the infant was born full-term with no signs of brain changes or microcephaly. Fidgety movements at 13 weeks were normal in presentation and motor outcome was typical at 12 months.

Conclusion: GM assessment can be useful for ZIKV-exposed infants. These findings represent the first information on GMs and long-term motor outcomes in ZIKV-exposed infants.

KEYWORDS:

• Child development
• general movements
• maternal fetal infection transmission
• movement disorders
• Zika virus

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Brazil, under grant number 1711415.