Table 1.

Zika viral strains that are known to cause microcephaly or microcephaly-like phenotypes.

ZIKV Strain	Model Used	Host/Location/Year	Microcephaly-Like Phenotypes	Reference
Human fetal tissue or organoid models
MR766	Human brain-specific organoids	Rhesus monkey/Uganda/1947	Increased cell death and reduced proliferation, resulting in decreased neuronal cell-layer volume resembling microcephaly.	[40]
MR766	Human neurospheres and organoids	Rhesus monkey/Uganda/1947	Growth impairment of neurospheres and organoids	[43]
MR766	Human cerebral organoids	Rhesus monkey/Uganda/1947	Reduction of organoid growth and volume reminiscent of microcephaly via induction of TLR3	[57]
FSS 13025	Human brain-specific organoids	Human/Cambodia/2010	Increased cell death and reduced proliferation, resulting in decreased neuronal cell-layer volume resembling microcephaly.	[40]
ZIKV(BR)	Human organoids	Human/Brazil/2015	Reduction of proliferative zones and disrupted cortical layers; induction of apoptosis, autophagy and impaired neurodevelopment	[59]
KU527068	Aborted human fetal brain	Human/Brazil/2016	Microcephaly with calcification in the fetal brain and placenta	[32]
FB_GWUH	Aborted human fetal brain	Human/USA/2016	Fetal brain abnormalities with diffuse cerebral cortical thinning	[39]
Mouse models
PF/2013/KD507	Mouse	Human/French Polynesia/2013	Fetal demise or intrauterine growth restriction	[33]
ZIKV(BR)	Mouse	Human/Brazil/2015	Intrauterine growth restriction, including signs of microcephaly and vertical transmission	[59]
SZ01	Mouse vertical transmission	Human/Samoa/2016	Infection of radial glia cells of dorsal ventricular zone of the fetuses resulting in reduced cavity of lateral ventricles and decreased cortical surface area	[40]
SZ01	Embryonic mouse brain	Human/Samoa/2016	Cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and inhibition of NPC differentiation, resulting in cortical thinning and microcephaly	[61]
CAM/2010AndVEN/2016	Neonatal mouse brain	Human/Cambodia/2010 Human/Venezuela/2016	Neonatal ZIKV infection of VEN/2016 leads to more severe microcephaly than CAM/2010. VEN/2016 strain infection leads to stronger immune response, more severe calcification, more neuronal death and abolished oligodendrocyte development, but less activation of microglial cells.	[62]