title: Ferret airway epithelial cell cultures support efficient replication of influenza B virus but not mumps virus.
abstract: Ferrets have become the model animal of choice for influenza pathology and transmission experiments as they are permissive and susceptible to human influenza A viruses. However, inoculation of ferrets with mumps virus (MuV) did not lead to successful infections. We evaluated the use of highly differentiated ferret tracheal epithelium cell cultures, FTE, for predicting the potential of ferrets to support respiratory viral infections. FTE cultures supported productive replication of human influenza A and B viruses but not of MuV, whereas analogous cells generated from human airways supported replication of all three viruses. We propose that in vitro strategies using these cultures might serve as a method of triaging viruses and potentially reducing the use of ferrets in viral studies.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
authors.forename: Ruth A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Elderfield
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar EN6 3QG, UK.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stilwell
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.|Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Kim L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar EN6 3QG, UK.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schepelmann
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
authors.forename: Wendy S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Barclay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000821:virology*; D005289:Ferrets / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D009981:Influenza B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000821:virology*; D009107:Mumps / Q000821:virology; D009109:Mumps virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000821:virology; D014776:Virus Cultivation; D014779:Virus Replication