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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

3) Infection of villous explants may vary with gestational age

Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Beautiful #fluorescence images from @ChristinaMegli shows #Oropouche virus infection throughout the chorionic villi including #syncytiotrophoblast, a cell that generally protects the placenta from viral infection.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Using trophoblast cultures 🧫, 3D trophoblast #organoids and #placenta explants, we showed: 1) OROV replicates rapidly in cytotrophoblast (CTB) and syncytiotrophoblasts (STB).

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

The #emerging OROV virus —previously known for causing flu-like illness—is now linked to miscarriages, stillbirths, & neonatal deaths. Our study reveals the OROV #prototype strain BeAn19991 can infect human #placenta tissue, including #trophoblasts, key cells at the maternal-fetal interface.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

This important collaborative work with the Megli (@ChristinaMegli) and Hartman (@RogueRifter) labs provides valuable insight into the possible mechanisms of #oropouche virus (OROV) vertical transmission.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

I’m excited to announce that our manuscript entitled “Oropouche virus infects human trophoblasts and placenta explants “ has been published by Nature Communications!! @natcomms.nature.com @natureportfolio.nature.com

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

This important collaborative work with the Megli and Hartman (@roguerifter.bsky.social) labs will provide valuable insight into the possible mechanisms of OROV vertical transmission. @pitt.bsky.social #lovevirology

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Other tissues, including the amniotic membrane, are also susceptible to #Oropouche infection. Altogether, there is a possible preference for earlier gestational tissues --- more studies of this kind are needed to confirm.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Staining patterns in the villous look like what we previously found with the related #bunyavirus #RVFV.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Beautiful #fluorescence images from the Megli Lab show #Oropouche virus infection throughout the chorionic villi including syncytiotrophoblast, a cell that generally protects the placenta from viral infection.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Using placenta #explants, we saw chorionic villous cultures are permissive to #Oropouche virus infection.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

#Oropouche virus undergoes robust replication in 3D trophoblast #organoids, important cells that compose the #placenta.

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Cynthia (Cindy) McMillen, PhD @goingviral88.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

We have a new pre-print on #Oropouche virus! Recent evidence suggests this emerging #bunyavirus may be associated with #verticaltransmission. Using ex vivo models of the placenta, we found villous trophoblasts are permissive to infection with the #prototype strain BeAn19991.

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