RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Natural history of Asian lineage Zika virus infection in macaques
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 046334
DO 10.1101/046334
A1 Dawn M. Dudley
A1 Matthew T. Aliota
A1 Emma L. Mohr
A1 Andrea M. Weiler
A1 Gabrielle Lehrer-Brey
A1 Kim L. Weisgrau
A1 Mariel S. Mohns
A1 Meghan E. Breitbach
A1 Mustafa N. Rasheed
A1 Christina M. Newman
A1 Dane D. Gellerup
A1 Louise H. Moncla
A1 Jennifer Post
A1 Nancy Schultz-Darken
A1 Josh A. Eudailey
A1 M. Anthony Moody
A1 Sallie R. Permar
A1 Shelby L. O’Connor
A1 Eva G. Rakasz
A1 Heather A. Simmons
A1 Saverio Capuano III
A1 Thaddeus G. Golos
A1 Jorge E. Osorio
A1 Thomas C. Friedrich
A1 David H. O’Connor
YR 2016
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/03/30/046334.abstract
AB Infection with Asian lineage Zika virus has been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome and fetal microcephaly1–4. Here we show that rhesus macaques are susceptible to infection by an Asian lineage Zika virus isolate that shares more than 99% nucleotide identity with strains currently circulating in the Americas. Following subcutaneous inoculation, Zika virus RNA was detected in plasma one-day post infection (dpi) in all animals (N = 3). Plasma viral loads peaked above 1 × 106 viral RNA copies/mL in two of three animals. Viral RNA was also present in saliva, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), consistent with case reports from infected humans. Zika virus RNA persisted in both plasma and urine at low levels for more than two weeks. Infection was associated with transient increases in proliferating natural killer cells, CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, and plasmablasts, suggesting pathogen sensing by the immune system. These data establish that Asian lineage Zika virus infection in rhesus macaques provides a relevant animal model for human infection. Furthermore, because fetal development is well characterized in rhesus macaques, infections in pregnant macaques will enable important studies of fetal defects associated with Zika virus.