title: Novel avian-origin human influenza A(H7N9) can be transmitted between ferrets via respiratory droplets.
abstract: The outbreak of human infections caused by novel avian-origin influenza A(H7N9) in China since March 2013 underscores the need to better understand the pathogenicity and transmissibility of these viruses in mammals. In a ferret model, the pathogenicity of influenza A(H7N9) was found to be less than that of an influenza A(H5N1) strain but comparable to that of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1), based on the clinical signs, mortality, virus dissemination, and results of histopathologic analyses. Influenza A(H7N9) could replicate in the upper and lower respiratory tract, the heart, the liver, and the olfactory bulb. It is worth noting that influenza A(H7N9) exhibited a low level of transmission between ferrets via respiratory droplets. There were 4 mutations in the virus isolated from the contact ferret: D678Y in the gene encoding PB2, R157K in the gene encoding hemagglutinin (H3 numbering), I109T in the gene encoding nucleoprotein, and T10I in the gene encoding neuraminidase. These data emphasized that avian-origin influenza A(H7N9) can be transmitted between mammals, highlighting its potential for human-to-human transmissibility.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College, Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Ministry of Health.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Linlin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Libo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Fengdi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Zhiguang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yanfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiangning
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yanfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Weijuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Honglin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lianfeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005289:Ferrets / Q000821:virology; D064766:Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000821:virology; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000821:virology
keywords: H7N9 influenza virus; animal models; pathogenicity; transmissibility