Zika virus infection in immunocompetent pregnant mice causes fetal damage and placental pathology in the absence of fetal infection.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during human pregnancy may cause diverse and serious congenital defects in the developing fetus. Previous efforts to generate animal models of human ZIKV infection and clinical symptoms often involved manipulating mice to impair their Type I interferon (IFN) signaling, thereby allowing enhanced infection and vertical transmission of virus to the embryo. Here, we show that even pregnant mice competent to generate Type I IFN responses that can limit ZIKV infection nonetheless develop profound placental pathology and high frequency of fetal demise. We consistently found that maternal ZIKV exposure led to placental pathology and that ZIKV RNA levels measured in maternal, placental or embryonic tissues were not predictive of the pathological effects seen in the embry

SUBMITTER: Szaba FM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5909921 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature