H7N9 Influenza Viruses Are Transmissible in Ferrets by Respiratory Droplet

Abstract

H7N9 Adaptation: Puzzling and alarming reports of an outbreak in early 2013 of human infections by a low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus has rocked the poultry industry in central eastern China and brought fears of initiating a human pandemic. Over 130 human cases have been reported with 37 deaths until closure of poultry markets accompanied a near-cessation of human case reports. From surveillance sampling of >10,000 isolates obtained during April 2013, Zhang et al. (p. 410 , published online 18 July) took 37 isolates of avian origin H7N9 and compared them to human H7N9 isolates. The majority of H7N9 isolates came from live poultry markets, although some originated in pigeons. Sequence analysis indicated that the chicken isolates had retained the avian characteristics at sites on the influenza genes for PB2 and the surface hemagglutinin HA, where adaptive mutations have been observed before. Sequence analysis also showed a higher variability in the internal genes than in HA and neuraminidase NA. By using glycan arrays, it was shown that avian and human isolates bound to human, but also to some extent to avian, receptors. As expected, the virus replicated well in chickens without causing disease, whereas in mice only the human isolates were highly pathogenic. The human virus, but not the avian, transmitted between ferrets through the air.