Macaque Models of Prenatal and Postnatal Zika Virus Exposure and Developmental Outcomes

Abstract

Prenatal and postnatal Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure can result in a constellation of developmental deficits in human infants that present during early childhood. Translational rhesus macaque models have been developed to interrogate these deficits. Here, we summarize and interpret the developmental findings from rhesus macaque studies of prenatal or postnatal ZIKV exposure. We looked for potential biomarkers that could be used to identify infants at risk for developmental deficits. Visual orientation and motor deficits were the most common developmental deficits across the studies. We identified a potential association between prolonged maternal RNAemia and worse infant developmental outcomes in prenatal exposure studies. Therefore, longitudinal screening of maternal blood for ZIKV RNA may help identify human infants at risk for visual orientation and motor deficits in early childhood; however, the diversity of research protocols across the groups made it challenging to make definitive associations.

Keywords: Zika virus; behavior; congenital infection; neurodevelopment; nonhuman primate model.