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Zika Virus Mucosal Infection Provides Protective Immunity

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: species mosquitoes but is also sexually transmissible. The recent pandemic in the Americas led to an unprecedented increase of newborn babies with developmental brain and eye abnormalities. To date, there is no licensed vaccine or therapeutic intervention available for the fight against ZIKV. Understanding the sexual transmission of ZIKV through vaginal and rectal routes is necessary to restrict virus transmission and spread. This study examines the early immunological and pathological consequences of rectal and subcutaneous routes of ZIKV infection using a mouse model. We characterized the primary target cells of ZIKV infection and the subsequent mucosal immune responses to infection, and we demonstrate the protective effect of mucosal rectal immunization using an attenuated ZIKV strain. This mucosal vaccination approach can be further developed to prevent future ZIKV outbreaks.

Source: Journal of Virology

DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00067-20

Authors: Laura E. Martínez, Gustavo Garcia, Deisy Contreras, Danyang Gong, Ren Sun, Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Broad Center

Language: English

Topic: Mosquito-borne diseases and control

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases