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CIIID joins forces with collaborators across the country to reveal Zika virus fetal disease

CIIID joins forces with collaborators across the country to reveal Zika virus fetal disease

CIIID researchers Drs. Michael Gale, Jr. and Kristina Adams Waldorf and their research teams joined up with investigators at five institutions across the United States to generate a comprehensive understanding of fetal disease associated with Zika virus infection.  Findings of this highly collaborative study were published on July 2, 2018 in the journal Nature Medicine. By pooling data from multiple studies, investigators were able to evaluate datasets with more statistical power to provide better insights on the rate of fetal demise in Zika infection through studies of nonhuman primates.  Fetal death was observed at a significantly higher percentage in pregnancy with Zika virus infection compared to no infection. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that placental pathology may be related to fetal loss, and placental function should be carefully assessed in fetal demise cases related to ZIKV infection. Zika virus and maternal/fetal infection and immunity are focus areas of research that are being actively pursued by CIIID researchers.

More information about this study can be found here (UW press release).

The full research article can be viewed by clicking here (Nature Med).