Fetal brain lesions after subcutaneous inoculation of Zika virus in a pregnant nonhuman primate.

Adams Waldorf, Kristina M; Stencel-Baerenwald, Jennifer E; Kapur, Raj P; Studholme, Colin; Boldenow, Erica; Vornhagen, Jay; Baldessari, Audrey; Dighe, Manjiri K et al. · Nat Med · 2016

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We describe the development of fetal brain lesions after Zika virus (ZIKV) inoculation in a pregnant pigtail macaque. Periventricular lesions developed within 10 d and evolved asymmetrically in the occipital-parietal lobes. Fetal autopsy revealed ZIKV in the brain and significant cerebral white matter hypoplasia, periventricular white matter gliosis, and axonal and ependymal injury. Our observation of ZIKV-associated fetal brain lesions in a nonhuman primate provides a model for therapeutic evaluation.

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