Intranasal infection and contact transmission of Zika virus in guinea pigs.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) is primarily transmitted to humans through mosquito bites or sexual contact. The excretion and persistence of contagious ZIKV in various body fluids have been well documented in ZIKV patients; however, the risk of direct contact exposure remains unclear. Here, we show that guinea pigs are susceptible to ZIKV infection via subcutaneous inoculation route; infected guinea pigs exhibit seroconversion and significant viral secretion in sera, saliva, and tears. Notably, ZIKV is efficiently transmitted from infected guinea pigs to naïve co-caged animals. In particular, intranasal inoculation of ZIKV is fully capable of establishing infection in guinea pigs, and viral antigens are detected in multiple tissues including brain and parotid glands. Cynomolgus macaques also efficientl

SUBMITTER: Deng YQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5698318 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature