Story about Ferrets
Ferrets are promising and robust animal models for studying human
influenza. Numerous researches of comparative significance have been done on
the ferrets since 1933. According to Fouchier et al, for example,
A/Indonesia/5/2205 has been chosen as a potential HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian
Influenza) H5N1 strain to generate mutations to obtain airborne
transmissibility between mammals, after the tenth passage in ferrets (Herfst
et al., 2012). The ferrets
could get infection of the chimeric virus by aerosol transmission, without any
direct contact, maintaining a low fatality compared with avian hosts.
Several reasons have been proposed by experts
on experimental animals to explain why they chose ferrets instead of mice,
primates, or even rabbits. First, they have the same distribution of
a-2,6-linked sialic acid (SA) receptors in upper respiratory tract (URT), which
is relatively similar as in humans. Fouchier claims that the specificity of SA
receptors is partially responsible for the host restriction of replication and
transmission of influenza A viruses, namely the fact that HPAI cannot cause
pandemic formation in human hosts. Second, ferrets are susceptible to infection
with both human and avian influenza viruses. This trait makes it easier to
manipulate artificial viral infection by intranasal inoculation. Last, ferrets
can transmit the viruses horizontally, with or without direct contact. Ferrets
thus are capable of meeting the requirement for an ideal experimental
condition. In contrast, mice, as well as primates, can hardly get disease when
challenged. Rabbits have distinctive respiratory system among mammals. Ferrets
are the most comparative models when compared with other candidates.
References
Herfst, S.,
Schrauwen, E. J. A., Linster, M., Chutinimitkul, S., de Wit, E., Munster, V.,
et al. (2012). Airborne transmission of influenza A/H5N1 virus between ferrets.
Science, 336(6088), 1534-1541. doi:10.1126/science.1213362
sofa....influenzer...your name remind me the movie of <3 idiots>.....the viruse....
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