AI Summary
This study involves inoculating macaques with Zika virus during pregnancy to investigate how the fetal viral load is controlled. The research aims to uncover the mechanisms that lead to brain damage and microcephaly in fetuses infected with Zika virus.
Early pregnancy Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is associated with major brain damage in fetuses, leading to microcephaly in 0.6–5.0% of cases, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.