Within the ZIKA-PATHO work package of ZIKAction, Dr. Maureen Long and her lab at the University of Florida have developed a sheep model of mother-to-child Zika virus transmission. Fetal sheep have proven to be an excellent model of fetal stress in human pregnancies, highly succeptible to early viral infection and demonstrating brain and limb defects in association with these infections.
By two weeks post Zika virus infection, three quarters of the sheep in this study seroconverted, indicating successful infection.
Keep on eye on this space for more updates on this innovative study!
