Introduction

The recent pandemic of the pdmH1N1 influenza virus and epidemic of the Ebola virus in West Africa showed a lack of preparedness to adequately respond to emerging infectious diseases with potential catastrophic consequences. One of the main obstacles to a fast and efficient response to emerging new infectious disease is insufficient knowledge of the biological, immunological and pathogenic properties of new pathogens and a lack of an appropriate experimental system for testing drugs and vaccines. The new emergence of the ZIKV showed that despite significant progress in molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, medicine and pharmacology which allows better understanding, prevention and therapy of infectious diseases, the world once again is not prepared for early and decisive action which would prevent hundreds of unnecessary cases of ZIKV infections and potential congenital abnormalities in newborns caused by this virus.

Previously, at the beginning of the HIV epidemic1, and recently during the swine flu pandemic2 and Ebola epidemic in West Africa3, we demonstrated that the bioinformatics tool which is based on the informational spectrum method (ISM)4 can give some useful information about the host-pathogen interaction and help in selection of drug and vaccine candidates. An essential advantage of ISM over other bioinformatics approaches is in the use of DNA and protein sequences as the only input information which allows analysis of new pathogens. Because data about the sequencing of new pathogens usually are available at the beginning of the outbreaks, the ISM analysis can start immediately and provide some information which could accelerate development of vaccines and drugs.

The ZIKV, native to parts of Africa and Asia, has for the first time been introduced into the Americas. The ZIKV epidemic in Brazil currently is estimated at 440000–1300000 cases, and in February 2016 it has spread to other Latin-American countries, the USA and Europe (http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(16)00014-3.pdf), threatening to become a pandemic. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2016/emergency-committee-zika-microcephaly/en/). There is no vaccine against the virus or any antiviral treatment.

Here we analyzed ZIKV E proteins using ISM. Results of this in silico analysis revealed that these viral proteins encode the highly conserved information which determines their interacting profile and immunological properties. Previously, we reported that the human interacting profile of HA1 from pdmH1N1 influenza viruses is characterized by the same information2. This result suggests possible repurposing of the seasonal influenza vaccine containing pdmH1N1 for prevention of ZIKV infection.