The Long-Term Persistence and Tissue Tropism of Brazilian Zika Virus in Monodelphis domestica

Author

Marisol Morales, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

8-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Dr. John M. Thomas III

Second Advisor

Dr. Robert Dearth

Third Advisor

Dr. John VandeBerg

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) rose as a major public health concern due to the congenital abnormalities of infants born to infected mothers during the 2015 Latin American outbreak. While animal models such as transgenic mice and nonhuman primates are used to study ZIKV pathogenesis, they display various limitations. Additionally, the persistence and tissue distribution of long-term ZIKV infection remains unknown. We describe the laboratory opossum, Monodelphis domestica, as a potential new model for ZIKV pathogenesis research to address these issues. We utilized immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, and ELISA to show that: infant animals inoculated intracerebrally were susceptible to infection, ZIKV infection persisted through juvenile age in the brain, sex organs, and spleen, and that some animals developed an immune response to ZIKV infection.

Comments

Copyright 2020 Marisol Morales. All Rights Reserved.

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/utrgv.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/long-term-persistence-tissue-tropism-brazilian/docview/2505418809/se-2?accountid=7119

Recommended Citation

Morales, Marisol, "The Long-Term Persistence and Tissue Tropism of Brazilian Zika Virus in Monodelphis domestica" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 724.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/724