Monodelphis domestica as a Fetal Intra-Cerebral Inoculation Model for Zika Virus Pathogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Monodelphis domestica (the laboratory opossum) is a marsupial native to South America. At birth, these animals are developmentally equivalent to human embryos at approximately 5 weeks of gestation, which, when coupled with other characteristics including the size of the animals, the development of a robust immune system during juvenile development, and the relative ease of experimental manipulation, have made M. domestica a valuable model in many areas of biomedical research. However, their suitability as models for infectious diseases, especially neurotropic viruses such as Zika virus (ZIKV), is currently unknown. Here, we describe the replicative effects of ZIKV using a fetal intra-cerebral model of inoculation. Using immunohistology and in situ hybridization, we found that

SUBMITTER: Thomas J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10221844 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature