Table 1.
Clinical signs, virus replication, seroconversion, and transmission in ferrets inoculated with WT influenza viruses
| Virus | Subtype | No. of inoculated ferrets/total number |
No. of contact ferrets/total number |
Transmission | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical signs |
Peak mean log10 nasal wash titer (day p.i.) | Seroconversion (HI titer range)† | Virus detected in nasal wash | Seroconversion (HI titer range)† | ||||
| Weight loss (%)* | Sneezing (day of onset) | |||||||
| Pan99 | H3N2 | 3/3 (7.9) | 3/3 (2) | 6.9 (1) | 3/3 (1,280–2,560) | 3/3 | 3/3 (20–640) | Efficient (RD) |
| Vic75 | H3N2 | 3/3 (9.5) | 3/3 (2) | 7.8 (1) | 3/3 (160–320) | 3/3 | 3/3 (40–1,280) | Efficient (RD) |
| HK486 | H5N1 | 3/3 (16.5) | 1/3 (4) | 7.0 (5) | 2/2‡ (1,280) | 0/3 | 2/3 (160–320) | Inefficient (RD) |
| HK213 | H5N1 | 3/3 (8.8) | 0/3 | 5.5 (1, 3) | 2/2‡ (1,280) | 0/3 | 0/3 | None (RD) |
| Indon05 | H5N1 | 3/3 (18.8) | 0/3 | 6.6 (3) | ND§ | 0/3 | 0/3 | None (C) |
| VN30408 | H5N1 | 3/3 (9.9) | 0/3 | 5.2 (3) | 3/3 (40–160) | 0/3 | 0/3 | None (C) |
RD, respiratory droplet; C, contact transmission.
*The percentage mean maximum weight loss is shown.
†HI assays were performed with homologous virus and RBCs derived from either horse for H5 viruses or turkey for H3 viruses.
‡Only two ferrets survived and were tested.
§ND, not determined because no ferrets survived beyond 7 days p.i.