Background CXCL10 has been shown to increase up to 200-fold during ZIKV infection in pregnant women and is associated with the pathogenesis of ZIKV. This research aimed to investigate the relationship between Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and overexpression of C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) in pregnant women.

Methods The study investigated a total of 62 serum samples from pregnant women in Nigerian tertiary teaching hospitals who were positive for Zika virus IgM using RTqPCR.

Results Seven samples were confirmed by PCR for the presence of ZIKV RNA, indicating a prevalence of 11.1%. The quantity of ZIKV RNA detected in the seven serum samples ranged from 1.0 x 10² to 11.6 x 10³ copies/ml. Further analysis revealed that CXCL10 was overexpressed in four out of the seven ZIKV-positive samples, with an increase of 4-, 24-, 27-, and 126-fold. These findings suggest a link between ZIKV viremia and CXCL10 overexpression in pregnant women. Additionally, the study identified age, gestational age, and ZIKV-related symptoms as risk factors for CXCL10 overexpression in pregnant women infected with ZIKV. Gene expression analysis revealed regulation values ranging from 1.0 to 126.2 among samples positive for ZIKV RNA.

Conclusion The findings of the study provide new insights into the pathogenesis of ZIKV infection in pregnant women and suggest that CXCL10 may serve as a biomarker for the disease. Future studies may investigate the potential of CXCL10 as a therapeutic target for ZIKV in pregnant women. Overall, this research highlights the importance of understanding the immunological and virological factors involved in ZIKV infection during pregnancy.