Cell Reports
Volume 17, Issue 12, 20 December 2016, Pages 3091-3098
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Report
A Mouse Model of Zika Virus Sexual Transmission and Vaginal Viral Replication

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2016.11.070Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Diestrus-like mice can succumb to vaginal Zika virus (ZIKV) infection

  • Estrus-like mice are resistant to vaginal ZIKV infection

  • ZIKV replication persists in the female reproductive tract

  • Type I interferon deficiency in myeloid cells permits transgenital transmission

Summary

Case reports of Zika virus (ZIKV) sexual transmission and genital persistence are mounting. Venereal transmission and genital persistence threaten public health within and beyond the range of ZIKV’s mosquito vectors. In this study, we administered ZIKV into the vaginas of AG129 mice and LysMCre+IFNARfl/fl C57BL/6 mice after hormonal treatments. Mice infected during estrus-like phase were resistant to vaginal infection. In contrast, when infected during diestrus-like phase, AG129 mice succumbed to infection, whereas LysMCre+IFNARfl/fl mice experienced transient illness. Patency of transgenital transmission (TGT) in diestrus-like mice was demonstrated by detection of viremia and ZIKV replication in spleen and brain, and viral RNA persisted in vaginal washes as late as 10 days post-infection. In these lethal and sublethal mouse models, this study indicates that intravaginal deposition of ZIKV can cause TGT, hormonal changes in the female reproductive tract (FRT) influence transmission, and ZIKV replication persists in the FRT for several days.

Keywords

Zika virus
semen
sperm
sexual
venereal
genital
vagina
mouse model
diestrus

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