Scientists Develop New Animal Model for Zika

Researchers from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute have found a new, possibly more ideal animal model of a Zika virus infection in male marmosets, which are smaller than the rhesus and cynomolgus macaque monkeys, other models of the Zika virus used in studies.

Zika infections in these monkeys mimic the way the Zika virus infects humans cells, including the presence of virus in bodily fluids like semen, saliva, and urine, for two weeks after the initial infection. Also like in humans, 80 percent of infected monkeys do not show clinical symptoms.

Scientists hope to test and develop new drugs and vaccines for the Zika virus in these new animal models, ideally with new studies leading to the identification of novel targets to stop the transmission of the virus.