Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques causes placental dysfunction and immunopathology

Alec J Hirsch1,2, Victoria H J Roberts3, Peta L Grigsby3,4

  • 1The Vaccine & Gene Institute, Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), 505 NW 185th Ave, Beaverton, 97006, USA. hirschal@ohsu.edu.

Nature Communications
|January 19, 2018
PubMed

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy leads to an increased risk of fetal growth restriction and fetal central nervous system malformations, which are outcomes broadly referred to as the Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). Here we infect pregnant rhesus macaques and investigate the impact of persistent ZIKV infection on uteroplacental pathology, blood flow, and fetal growth and development. Despite seemingly normal fetal growth and persistent fetal-placenta-maternal infection, advanced non-invasive in vivo imaging studies reveal dramatic effects on placental oxygen reserve accompanied by significantly decreased oxygen permeability of the placental villi. The observation of abnormal oxygen transport within the placenta appears to be a consequence of uterine vasculitis and placental villous damage in ZIKV cases. In addition, we demonstrate a robust maternal-placental-fetal inflammatory response following ZIKV infection. This animal model reveals a potential relationship between ZIKV infection and uteroplacental pathology that appears to affect oxygen delivery to the fetus during development.

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