Rescue of Replication-Competent ZIKV Hidden in Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Cells Long After the Resolution of the Infection

Veronica Bordoni; Eleonora Lalle; Francesca Colavita; Andrea Baiocchini; Roberta Nardacci; Laura Falasca; Fabrizio Carletti; Eleonora Cimini; Licia Bordi; Gary Kobinger; Valentina D'Ambrosio; Fabio Natale; Antonella Giancotti; Lucia Manganaro; Franca Del Nonno; Alimuddin Zumla; Giuseppina Liuzzi; Giuseppe Ippolito; Maria Rosaria Capobianchi; Chiara Agrati; Concetta Castilletti

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz342

Rescue of Replication-Competent ZIKV Hidden in Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Cells Long After the Resolution of the Infection

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019 Oct 9;6(10):ofz342. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz342. eCollection 2019 Oct.

Authors

Veronica Bordoni¹, Eleonora Lalle², Francesca Colavita², Andrea Baiocchini³, Roberta Nardacci⁴, Laura Falasca⁴, Fabrizio Carletti², Eleonora Cimini¹, Licia Bordi², Gary Kobinger⁵, Valentina D'Ambrosio⁶, Fabio Natale⁶, Antonella Giancotti⁶, Lucia Manganaro⁷, Franca Del Nonno³, Alimuddin Zumla^{8

9}, Giuseppina Liuzzi¹⁰, Giuseppe Ippolito¹¹, Maria Rosaria Capobianchi², Chiara Agrati¹, Concetta Castilletti²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Cellular Immunology and Pharmacology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani," IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
² Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani," IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
³ Unit of Pathology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani," IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
⁴ Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani," IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
⁵ Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada.
⁶ Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urologic Science, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Rome, Italy.
⁷ Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Science, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Rome, Italy.
⁸ Division of Infection and Immunity, Center for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, UK.
⁹ National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁰ Center for Prevention and Treatment of Infections in Pregnancy, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani," IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
¹¹ Scientific Direction, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani," IRCCS, Rome, Italy.

Abstract

The Zika virus (ZIKV) genome, its negative-strand viral proteins, and virus-like particles were detected in placenta-derived mesenchymal cells (MSCs), indicating that ZIKV persists after virus clearance from maternal blood and can be rescued by in vitro cultivation. We report for the first time the presence of replication-competent ZIKV in MSCs from an asymptomatic woman who acquired infection during pregnancy.

Keywords: Zika virus; mesenchymal cells; placenta; vertical transmission; viral reservoir.