Vertical transmission and fetal replication of Nipah virus in an experimentally infected cat

BA Mungall, D Middleton, G Crameri… - Journal of infectious …, 2007 - academic.oup.com
BA Mungall, D Middleton, G Crameri, K Halpin, J Bingham, BT Eaton, CC Broder
Journal of infectious diseases, 2007academic.oup.com
A female adult cat developed clinical disease 13 days after subcutaneous inoculation with
Nipah virus (NiV) and was discovered to be pregnant at necropsy. Viral genome was
detected in a variety of specimens, including blood, serum, tonsil swabs, and urine, up to 3
days before the onset of disease. Samples collected postmortem, including placenta, uterine
fluid, and fetal tissues, were also positive for NiV genome, and the placenta and uterine fluid
contained high levels of recoverable virus. The high levels of viral shedding in the adult …
Abstract
A female adult cat developed clinical disease 13 days after subcutaneous inoculation with Nipah virus (NiV) and was discovered to be pregnant at necropsy. Viral genome was detected in a variety of specimens, including blood, serum, tonsil swabs, and urine, up to 3 days before the onset of disease. Samples collected postmortem, including placenta, uterine fluid, and fetal tissues, were also positive for NiV genome, and the placenta and uterine fluid contained high levels of recoverable virus. The high levels of viral shedding in the adult combined with fetal viral replication suggests that both vertical and horizontal transmission of NiV could play a role in spillover events, an essential element in the epidemiology of Henipavirus infection.
Oxford University Press