Visualizing real-time influenza virus infection, transmission and protection in ferrets.
Influenza transmission efficiency in ferrets is vital for risk-assessment studies. However, the inability to monitor viral infection and transmission dynamics in real time only provides a glimpse into transmissibility. Here we exploit a replication-competent influenza reporter virus to investigate dynamics of infection/transmission in ferrets. Bioluminescent imaging of ferrets infected with A/California/04/2009 H1N1 virus (CA/09) encoding NanoLuc (NLuc) luciferase provides the first real-time snapshot of influenza infection/transmission. Luminescence in the respiratory tract and in less well-characterized extra-pulmonary sites is observed, and imaging identifies infections in animals that would have otherwise been missed by traditional methods. Finally, the reporter virus significantly increases the speed and sensitivity of virological and serological assays. Thus, bioluminescent imaging of influenza infections rapidly determines intra-host dissemination, inter-host transmission and viral load, revealing infection dynamics and pandemic potential of the virus. These results have important implications for antiviral drug susceptibility, vaccine efficacy, transmissibility and pathogenicity studies.
Department of Infectious Diseases, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
Erik A
EA
Karlsson
Department of Infectious Diseases, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
Victoria A
VA
Meliopoulos
Animal Resource Center, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
Chandra
C
Savage
Animal Resource Center, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
Brandi
B
Livingston
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Andrew
A
Mehle
Department of Infectious Diseases, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
Stacey
S
Schultz-Cherry
D000818:Animals; D005289:Ferrets; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; D008156:Luciferases; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000379:methods*; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000635:transmission*; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000821:virology*; D059386:Reverse Genetics; D019562:Viral Load
D008156:Luciferases