Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 569: The Susceptibility of Chickens to Zika Virus: A Comprehensive Study on Age-Dependent Infection Dynamics and Host Responses

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 569: The Susceptibility of Chickens to Zika Virus: A Comprehensive Study on Age-Dependent Infection Dynamics and Host Responses Viruses doi: 10.3390/v16040569 Authors: Ruth H. Nissly Levina Lim Margo R. Keller Ian M. Bird Gitanjali Bhushan Sougat Misra Shubhada K. Chothe Miranda C. Sill Nagaram Vinod Kumar A. V. N. Sivakumar B. Rambabu Naik Bhushan M. Jayarao Suresh V. Kuchipudi Zika virus (ZIKV) remains a public health concern, with epidemics in endemic regions and sporadic outbreaks in new areas posing significant threats. Several mosquito-borne flaviviruses that can cause human illness, including West Nile, Usutu, and St. Louis encephalitis, have associations with birds. However, the susceptibility of chickens to ZIKV and their role in viral epidemiology is not currently known. We investigated the susceptibility of chickens to experimental ZIKV infection using chickens ranging from 1-day-old chicks to 6-week-old birds. ZIKV caused no clinical signs in chickens of all age groups tested. Viral RNA was detected in the blood and tissues during the first 5 days post-inoculation in 1-day and 4-day-old chicks inoculated with a high viral dose, but ZIKV was undetectable in 6-week-old birds at all timepoints. Minimal antibody responses were observed in 6-week-old birds, and while present in younger chicks, they waned by 28 days post-infection. Innate immune responses varied significantly between age groups. Robust type I inter...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research