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Miao Y, Zheng Y, Wang T, Yi W, Zhang N, Zhang W, Zheng Z. Breast milk transmission and involvement of mammary glands in tick-borne flavivirus infected mice. J Virol 2024; 98:e0170923. [PMID: 38305156 PMCID: PMC10949448 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01709-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne flaviviruses (TBFs) are transmitted to humans through milk and tick bites. Although a case of possible mother-to-child transmission of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) through breast milk has been reported, this route has not been confirmed in experimental models. Therefore, in this study, using type I interferon receptor-deficient A129 mice infected with Langat virus (LGTV), we aimed to demonstrate the presence of infectious virus in the milk and mammary glands of infected mice. Our results showed viral RNA of LGTV in the pup's stomach milk clots (SMCs) and blood, indicating that the virus can be transmitted from dam to pup through breast milk. In addition, we observed that LGTV infection causes tissue lesions in the mammary gland, and viral particles were present in mammary gland epithelial cells. Furthermore, we found that milk from infected mice could infect adult mice via the intragastric route, which has a milder infection process, longer infection time, and a lower rate of weight loss than other modes of infection. Specifically, we developed a nano-luciferase-LGTV reporter virus system to monitor the dynamics of different infection routes and observed dam-to-pup infection using in vivo bioluminescence imaging. This study provides comprehensive evidence to support breast milk transmission of TBF in mice and has helped provide useful data for studying TBF transmission routes.IMPORTANCETo date, no experimental models have confirmed mother-to-child transmission of tick-borne flavivirus (TBF) through breastfeeding. In this study, we used a mouse model to demonstrate the presence of infectious viruses in mouse breast milk and mammary gland epithelial cells. Our results showed that pups could become infected through the gastrointestinal route by suckling milk, and the infection dynamics could be monitored using a reporter virus system during breastfeeding in vivo. We believe our findings have provided substantial evidence to understand the underlying mechanism of breast milk transmission of TBF in mice, which has important implications for understanding and preventing TBF transmission in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjiu Miao
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Zheng
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Wang
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- The Center for Biomedical Research, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenfu Yi
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Nailou Zhang
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Wanpo Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhenhua Zheng
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Mungin JW, Chen X, Liu B. Interferon Epsilon Signaling Confers Attenuated Zika Replication in Human Vaginal Epithelial Cells. Pathogens 2022; 11:853. [PMID: 36014974 PMCID: PMC9415962 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging flavivirus that causes congenital birth defects and neurological compilations in the human host. Although ZIKV is primarily transmitted through infected mosquitos, recent studies reveal sexual contact as a potential transmission route. In vagina-bearing individuals, the vaginal epithelium constitutes the first line of defense against viruses. However, it is unclear how ZIKV interacts with the vaginal epithelium to initiate ZIKV transmission. In this study, we demonstrate that exposing ZIKV to human vaginal epithelial cells (hVECs) resulted in de novo viral RNA replication, increased envelope viral protein production, and a steady, extracellular release of infectious viral particles. Interestingly, our data show that, despite an increase in viral load, the hVECs did not exhibit significant cytopathology in culture as other cell types typically do. Furthermore, our data reveal that the innate antiviral state of hVECs plays a crucial role in preventing viral cytopathology. For the first time, our data show that interferon epsilon inhibits ZIKV replication. Collectively, our results in this study provide a novel perspective on the viral susceptibility and replication dynamics during ZIKV infection in the human vaginal epithelium. These findings will be instrumental towards developing therapeutic agents aimed at eliminating the pathology caused by the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Bindong Liu
- Centers for AIDS Health Disparity Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA; (J.W.M.J.); (X.C.)
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3
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Excretion of Cell-Free and Cell-Associated Zika Virus into Breast Milk of Infected Dams and Identification of Antiviral Factors. Viruses 2022; 14:v14050851. [PMID: 35632593 PMCID: PMC9144681 DOI: 10.3390/v14050851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus belonging to the Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family. During the 60 years following its discovery in 1947, ZIKV caused little concern for public health as the associated infection was reported as mostly asymptomatic or inducing mild symptoms. However, since 2013, severe neurological symptoms have been associated with ZIKV infection, compelling the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Among those symptoms, neurological birth defects may affect children born to mothers infected during pregnancy. Additionally, during the past 8 years, ZIKV transmission through breastfeeding has repeatedly been suggested in epidemiological studies and demonstrated on a mouse model by our team. To better understand the biological factors controlling ZIKV transmission through breastfeeding, we investigated the nature of the viral entities excreted in the breast milk of infected dams and evaluated viral transmission to breastfed pups. We show that both cell-free and cell-associated virus is excreted into breast milk and that ZIKV is efficiently transmitted to the breastfed pups. Additionally, we studied murine breast milk cell types, and identified a majority of mammary luminal cells. Finally, we investigated the effect on ZIKV infectivity of several breast milk components that are antiviral against different viruses such as lactoferrin (LF) and lactalbumin (LA), or free fatty acids (FFA). We showed no effect of LF and LA, whereas FFA inactivated the virus. These results bring new insight concerning the mechanisms of ZIKV transmission during breastfeeding and identify biological factors modulating it. These elements should be considered in risk assessment of ZIKV mother-to-child transmission.
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Desgraupes S, Hubert M, Gessain A, Ceccaldi PE, Vidy A. Mother-to-Child Transmission of Arboviruses during Breastfeeding: From Epidemiology to Cellular Mechanisms. Viruses 2021; 13:1312. [PMID: 34372518 PMCID: PMC8310101 DOI: 10.3390/v13071312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Most viruses use several entry sites and modes of transmission to infect their host (parenteral, sexual, respiratory, oro-fecal, transplacental, transcutaneous, etc.). Some of them are known to be essentially transmitted via arthropod bites (mosquitoes, ticks, phlebotomes, sandflies, etc.), and are thus named arthropod-borne viruses, or arboviruses. During the last decades, several arboviruses have emerged or re-emerged in different countries in the form of notable outbreaks, resulting in a growing interest from scientific and medical communities as well as an increase in epidemiological studies. These studies have highlighted the existence of other modes of transmission. Among them, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during breastfeeding was highlighted for the vaccine strain of yellow fever virus (YFV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), and suggested for other arboviruses such as Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), dengue virus (DENV), and West Nile virus (WNV). In this review, we summarize all epidemiological and clinical clues that suggest the existence of breastfeeding as a neglected route for MTCT of arboviruses and we decipher some of the mechanisms that chronologically occur during MTCT via breastfeeding by focusing on ZIKV transmission process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Desgraupes
- Unité Épidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France; (M.H.); (A.G.); (P.-E.C.)
- Université de Paris, 75013 Paris, France
- UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 3569, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Hubert
- Unité Épidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France; (M.H.); (A.G.); (P.-E.C.)
- Université de Paris, 75013 Paris, France
- UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 3569, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Antoine Gessain
- Unité Épidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France; (M.H.); (A.G.); (P.-E.C.)
- Université de Paris, 75013 Paris, France
- UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 3569, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Emmanuel Ceccaldi
- Unité Épidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France; (M.H.); (A.G.); (P.-E.C.)
- Université de Paris, 75013 Paris, France
- UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 3569, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Aurore Vidy
- Unité Épidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France; (M.H.); (A.G.); (P.-E.C.)
- Université de Paris, 75013 Paris, France
- UMR Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 3569, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
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Hubert M, Jeannin P, Burlaud-Gaillard J, Roingeard P, Gessain A, Ceccaldi PE, Vidy A. Evidence That Zika Virus Is Transmitted by Breastfeeding to Newborn A129 ( Ifnar1 Knock-Out) Mice and Is Able to Infect and Cross a Tight Monolayer of Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:524678. [PMID: 33193119 PMCID: PMC7649816 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.524678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the Flavivirus genus in the Flaviviridae family. Mainly transmitted via mosquito bites (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus), ZIKV has been classified in the large category of arthropod-borne viruses, or arboviruses. However, during the past two outbreaks in French Polynesia (2013–2014) and Latin America (2015–2016), several cases of ZIKV human-to-human transmission were reported, either vertically via transplacental route but also horizontally after sexual intercourse. Interestingly, high viral burdens were detected in the colostrum and breast milk of infected women and mother-to-child transmission of ZIKV during breastfeeding was recently highlighted. In a previous study, we highlighted the implication of the mammary epithelium (blood–milk barrier) in ZIKV infectious particles excretion in breast milk. However, mechanisms of their further transmissibility to the newborn via oral route through contaminated breast milk remain unknown. In this study, we provide the first experimental proof-of-concept of the existence of the breastfeeding as a route for mother-to-child transmission of ZIKV and characterized the neonatal oral transmission in a well-established mouse model of ZIKV infection. From a mechanistical point-of-view, we demonstrated for the first time that ZIKV was able to infect and cross an in vitro model of tight human intestinal epithelium without altering its barrier integrity, permitting us to consider the gut as an entry site for ZIKV after oral exposure. By combining in vitro and in vivo experiments, this study strengthens the plausibility of mother-to-child transmission of ZIKV during breastfeeding and helps to better characterize underlying mechanisms, such as the crossing of the newborn intestinal epithelium by ZIKV. As a consequence, these data could serve as a basis for a reflection about the implementation of measures to prevent ZIKV transmission, while keeping in mind breastfeeding-associated benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Hubert
- Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Patricia Jeannin
- Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Julien Burlaud-Gaillard
- INSERM U1259, Université de Tours et CHU de Tours, Tours, France.,Plate-forme IBiSA de Microscopie Electronique, Université de Tours et CHU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Philippe Roingeard
- INSERM U1259, Université de Tours et CHU de Tours, Tours, France.,Plate-forme IBiSA de Microscopie Electronique, Université de Tours et CHU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Antoine Gessain
- Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Emmanuel Ceccaldi
- Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Aurore Vidy
- Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Unité Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Virologie, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3569, Paris, France
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Zika virus transmission via breast milk in suckling mice. Clin Microbiol Infect 2020; 27:469.e1-469.e7. [PMID: 32344170 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Infectious Zika viral particles were detected in human milk; however, whether they can be transmitted via breastfeeding remains unknown, so our objective was to clarify this. METHODS Here, in a natural breastfeeding model, wild-type (C57Bl/6; WT) or interferon α/β (IFNα/β) receptor-deficient (A129; KO) murine dams on day 1 post-delivery were infected with Zika virus (ZIKV) intraperitoneally, and the neonates were suckled. In a novel artificial feeding model, WT suckling mice at 1 day old were fed with ZIKV alone or ZIKV and human breast milk mixtures. Thereafter, the virus distribution, clinical progression and neuropathology in the WT or KO neonates were characterized to evaluate the risk of ZIKV transmission through breast milk. RESULTS In natural breastfeeding, viral RNAs (8/8) and infectious viral particles (7/8) were extensively present in the mammary glands of KO dams. All tested KO neonates (5/5), and none of WT neonates (0/9), were infected with ZIKV. In artificial feeding, 100% of the WT neonates (two groups, 12/12 and 16/16) were infected and developed some signs of neurodegeneration. ZIKV tended to seed and accumulate in the lungs and were subsequently disseminated to other tissues in both 16 naturally suckled and 19 artificially fed infected neonates. As human breast milk was mixed with ZIKV and fed to WT neonates, 45% individuals (9/20) were infected; in the infected neonates, the viral spread to the brain was delayed, and the clinical outcomes were alleviated. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrated that suckling mice can be infected with ZIKV through suckling, and breast milk has potential antiviral activity, inhibiting ZIKV infection.
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