Zika Virus Infection and Development of a Murine Model

In view of the recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV), there is an urgent need to investigate the pathogenesis of the symptoms associated with ZIKV infection. Since the first identification of the virus in 1947, the pathologies associated with ZIKV infection were thought to be limited with mild illness that presented fever, rashes, muscle aches, and weakness. However, ZIKV infection has been shown to cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and numerous cases of congenital microcephaly in children have been reported when pregnant females were exposed to the virus. The severity and the rate of spread of ZIKV in the last year has drawn alarming interest among researchers to investigate murine models to study viral pathogenesis and develop candidate vaccines. A recent study by Lazear and colleagues, in the May 2016 issue of cell host and microbe, is an effort to study the pathogenesis of contemporary and historical virus strains in various mouse models.