Although previous outbreaks of ZIKV resembled that of dengue fever and chikungunya, its recent spread to the Americas has revealed an increase in the incidence of congenital microcephaly with brain and ocular malformations, as well as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) associated with placental insufficiency, and spontaneous pregnancy loss. As ZIKV RNA has been reported in amniotic fluid, the placenta and fetal neural tissue from women weeks to months after being infected early in gestation2, understanding the role of the placenta in alternately facilitating or limiting vertical transmission of ZIKV is of paramount importance. In a recent study published in Cell, Miner and colleagues describe two mouse models of ZIKV infection during pregnancy that are associated with clinically relevant phenotypes in offspring, including growth restriction and placental damage