Working with Zika and Usutu Viruses In Vitro
Abstract
Usutu and Zika viruses are emerging arboviruses of significant medical and veterinary importance. These viruses have not been studied as well as other medically important arboviruses such as West Nile, dengue, or chikungunya viruses. As such, information regarding the behavior of Zika and Usutu viruses in the laboratory is dated. Usutu virus re-emerged in Austria in 2001 and has since spread throughout the European and Asian continents causing significant mortality among birds. Zika virus has recently appeared in the Americas and has exhibited unique characteristics of pathogenesis, including birth defects, and transmission. Information about the characteristics of Usutu and Zika viruses are needed to better understand the transmission, dispersal, and adaptation of these viruses in new environments. Since their initial characterization in the middle of last century, technologies and reagents have been developed that could enhance our abilities to study these pathogens. Currently, standard laboratory methods for these viruses are limited to 2-3 cell lines and many assays take several days to generate meaningful data. The goal of this study was to characterize these viruses in cell culture to provide some basic parameters to further their study. Cell lines from 17 species were permissive to both Zika and Usutu viruses. These viruses were able to replicate to significant titers in most of the cell lines tested. Moreover, cytopathic effects were observed in 8 of the cell lines…
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