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The role of the placenta in prenatally acquired Zika virus infection

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Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne arbovirus from the family Flaviviridae, which has been recently confirmed to cause severe neurological abnormalities (such as microcephaly, brain parenchymal calcification, hydrocephalus, and malformations of cortical development) in the infected fetuses. The Placenta plays a multifold role in prenatally acquired ZIKV infection. It serves as a port of virus transmission to the fetus, and also can be directly affected by ZIKV leading to a diminished fetal blood supply or a disrupted/changed biological mediators’ synthesis. It is crucial to have a detailed knowledge about these pathomechanisms for preventing virus transmission in the infected pregnant women, as well as for prohibiting or reversing placental changes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Shohada Tajrish Hospital, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Zare Mehrjardi & Farzaneh Shobeirian

  2. Section of Fetal Imaging, Division of Clinical Research, Climax Radiology Education Foundation, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Zare Mehrjardi

Authors
  1. Mohammad Zare Mehrjardi
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  2. Farzaneh Shobeirian
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Correspondence to Mohammad Zare Mehrjardi.

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Zare Mehrjardi, M., Shobeirian, F. The role of the placenta in prenatally acquired Zika virus infection. VirusDis. 28, 247–249 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13337-017-0399-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13337-017-0399-z

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