Department of Biological Sciences, Bronx Community College/The City University of New York, Bronx, NY United States.
Department of Biological Sciences, Bronx Community College/The City University of New York, Bronx, NY United States.
Pathology. 2017 Dec;49(7):707-714. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2017.07.008. Epub 2017 Oct 7.
The recent upsurge in the association of congenital neurological disorders and infection by the Zika virus (ZIKV) has resulted in increased research focus on the biology of this flavivirus. Studies in animal models indicate that ZIKV can breach the placental barrier and selectively infect and deplete neuroprogenitor cells (NPCs) of the developing fetus, resulting in changes of brain structures, reminiscent of human microcephaly. In vitro and ex vivo studies using human cells and tissues showed that human NPCs and placental cells are targeted by ZIKV. Also of concern is the impact of ZIKV on human reproductive structures, with the potential to cause infertility, as the virus appears to remain in the genital tract for extended periods of time. This review discusses the putative roles of ZIKV on human reproductive complications and congenital neuropathologies.
最近，先天性神经发育障碍与寨卡病毒（ZIKV）感染之间的关联日益紧密，这促使人们对该黄病毒的生物学特性展开了更多研究。动物模型研究表明，寨卡病毒能够穿透胎盘屏障，选择性感染并耗竭发育中胎儿的神经祖细胞（NPCs），导致大脑结构发生变化，类似于人类小头畸形。利用人类细胞和组织进行的体外和离体研究表明，寨卡病毒能够靶向 NPCs 和胎盘细胞。此外，寨卡病毒对人类生殖结构的影响也令人担忧，因为该病毒似乎会在生殖道内持续存在很长时间，这可能导致不孕。本综述讨论了寨卡病毒在人类生殖并发症和先天性神经病变中的潜在作用。
