Fig. 1.

Viral persistence in LNs and viral dissemination to mucosal tissues are greater in male PTMs. a Eight pigtail macaques (n = 4 females, n = 4 males) were subcutaneously (s.c.) infected with 5 × 10⁵ plaque-forming units (PFU) of a Brazilian Fortaleza isolate of ZIKV. Blood was routinely collected at 10 and 5 days prior to infection (−10 and −5 dpi), daily for the first 4 days post-infection, and then every 2–3 days until necropsy at 27–29 dpi. In addition to blood draws, comprehensive biopsy samples of the gastrointestinal tract (jejunum, colon, and rectum) and whole lymph nodes (peripheral) at −10, 7, 14, and 21 dpi were taken. Vaginal biopsies were also sampled 2 days prior to infection (−2 dpi) and 7, 14, and at 21 dpi. b Kinetics of ZIKV RNA levels in the plasma (Log₁₀ copies/ml) and various tissues (Log₁₀ copies/mg) were determined by RT-qPCR. Dotted line indicates the limit of detection: 83 copies/ml or mg in plasma, jejunum, colon, and vagina or 25 copies/mg in the peripheral lymph node and rectum. c ZIKV distribution in plasma, peripheral lymph node (PLN), and mucosal tissues at 0–25 days post-infection (DPI) (plasma) or 0–21 dpi (PLN, mucosal tissues) is shown as follows: ZIKV RNA positive (green), negative (white), or tissue not available (N/A) (gray). d ZIKV burdens were determined by measuring area under the curve (AUC) in plasma (0–25 dpi), PLN, and rectum (0–21 dpi) in female (blue) and male (red) animals. Dotted lines indicate the limit of detection (31 copies/ml or mg) of the AUC. Dots are individual animals (total n = 8) and bars are the medians with interquartile ranges. Significant (unadjusted Wilcoxon p ≤ 0.05) p-values are displayed