Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne phlebovirus that poses a growing global threat, causing severe disease in humans and livestock, including hepatitis, haemorrhage and encephalitis. Do...

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) poses a formidable threat to pregnant animals and potentially to pregnant individuals and their developing fetuses. Despite this risk, pregnant individuals are rarely included in vaccine trials, leaving this potentially vulnerable population unprotected. Using a live-attenuated RVFV vaccine, we demonstrate that maternal vaccination is safe and protects both pregnant rats and their fetuses from congenital Rift Valley fever. Because live-attenuated vaccines are often contraindicated during pregnancy due to theoretical safety concerns, we further show that vaccination prior to pregnancy provides equivalent protection throughout future pregnancy. Taken together, these findings provide a blueprint for the preclinical evaluation of RVFV vaccines during pregnancy.

The disease burden of Oropouche fever has been underrecognized and underreported, as highlighted by the increased testing seen in an ongoing outbreak in South America. Specifically, the role of the li...

Rift Valley fever may be accompanied by late-onset encephalitis in humans. Our lab has studied the in vivo mechanisms of neurological disease, yet the precise mechanisms of cell death in the central n...