A peptide-based viral inactivator inhibits Zika virus infection in pregnant mice and fetuses

Zika Virus Infection during Pregnancy in Mice Causes Placental Damage and Fetal Demise

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnant women causes intrauterine growth restriction, spontaneous abortion, and microcephaly. Here, we describe two mouse models of placental and fetal disease associated with in utero transmission of ZIKV. Female mice lacking type I interferon signaling (Ifnar1(-/-)) crossed to wild-type (WT) males produced heterozygous fetuses resembling the immune status of hu...

Type I interferons instigate fetal demise after Zika virus infection.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with adverse fetal outcomes, including microcephaly, growth restriction, and fetal demise. Type I interferons (IFNs) are essential for host resistance against ZIKV, and IFN-α/β receptor (IFNAR)-deficient mice are highly susceptible to ZIKV infection. Severe fetal growth restriction with placental damage and fetal resorption is observed ...

Recent developments in vertical transmission of ZIKA virus

Recently Zika virus (ZIKV) has been the focus of much attention, primarily because of its association with an increased incidence in microcephaly. Although ZIKV was initially discovered in a sentinel rhesus monkey in Uganda [1], its range includes Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Much of the recent concern regarding ZIKV arises from a dramatic rise in microcephaly that has been report...

Evaluation of Pregnant Women, Fetuses and Infants with Zika Virus Exposure and Infection: Lessons Learned from the Congenital Zika Program at Children’s National

Trehalose May Decrease the Transmission of Zika Virus to the Fetus by Activating Degradative Autophagy

A widespread epidemic of Zika virus (a mosquito-borne flavivirus) infection was reported from 2015 in South and Central America. A major concern associated with the infection is the significantly increased incidence of microcephaly in fetuses born to the mothers infected with Zika virus (Mlakar et al., 2016). Researchers studying monkeys have shown that one infection with Zika virus protects th...