Differential contributions of fetal mononuclear phagocytes to Zika neuroinvasion versus neuroprotection during congenital infection

Fetal microglia had a protective role once differentiated in the brain, as their absence increased infection burden and neuronal death. Conversely, monocyte depletion reduced non-productive neuroinflammation. We used Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to identify transcriptional profiles linked to the protective versus detrimental contributions of mononuclear phagocyte subsets during ZIKV infection in the fetal brain. Overall design: To investigate the role of mononuclear phagocytes during ZIKV infection in the fetal brain in a pregnant mouse model.