Zika virus vertical transmission in interferon receptor1-antagonized Rag1^-/- mice results in postnatal brain abnormalities and clinical disease.

ABSTRACT: The mechanisms by which vertically transmitted Zika virus (ZIKV) causes postnatal brain development abnormalities and congenital disease remain poorly understood. Here, we optimized the established anti-IFNAR1 treated, Rag1^-/- (AIR) mouse model of ZIKV infection to examine the consequence of vertical transmission on neonate survival and postnatal brain development. We found that modulating the infectious dose and the frequency of anti-IFNAR1 treatment of pregnant mice (termed AIR^low mice) prolonged neonatal survival allowing for pathogenesis studies of brain tissues at critical postnatal time points. Postnatal AIR^low mice all had chronic ZIKV infection in the brain that was associated with decreased cortical thickness and cerebellar volume, increased gliosi

SUBMITTER: Winkler CW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8981715 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature