Scientists have developed a nonhuman primate model of Zika virus infection to better understand its course in humans, especially in pregnant women. David O’Connor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues injected eight rhesus macaques—two of them pregnant—with the Asian strain of the virus currently circulating in South and Central America. The non-pregnant and pregnant monkeys were still infected 21 days and up to 57 days later, respectively, and all animals were immune to reinfection 10 weeks post-injection, the researchers reported today (June 28) in Nature Communications. Prior to publication, the team was posting its data online in real time.
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