title: Complexities in Ferret Influenza Virus Pathogenesis and Transmission Models.
abstract: Ferrets are widely employed to study the pathogenicity, transmissibility, and tropism of influenza viruses. However, inherent variations in inoculation methods, sampling schemes, and experimental designs are often overlooked when contextualizing or aggregating data between laboratories, leading to potential confusion or misinterpretation of results. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of parameters to consider when planning an experiment using ferrets, collecting data from the experiment, and placing results in context with previously performed studies. This review offers information that is of particular importance for researchers in the field who rely on ferret data but do not perform the experiments themselves. Furthermore, this review highlights the breadth of experimental designs and techniques currently available to study influenza viruses in this model, underscoring the wide heterogeneity of protocols currently used for ferret studies while demonstrating the wealth of information which can benefit risk assessments of emerging influenza viruses.
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA jbelser@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Belser
authors.affiliation: Division of Communication Services, Office of the Associate Director for Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Alissa M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Terrence M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Tumpey
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Taronna R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Maines
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology