Influenza A viruses are transmitted via the air from the nasal respiratory epithelium of ferrets

Mathilde Richard; Judith M. A. van den Brand; Theo M. Bestebroer; Pascal Lexmond; Dennis de Meulder; Ron A. M. Fouchier; Anice C. Lowen; Sander Herfst

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-14626-0

Nature Communications (Feb 2020)

Influenza A viruses are transmitted via the air from the nasal respiratory epithelium of ferrets

Mathilde Richard,
Judith M. A. van den Brand,
Theo M. Bestebroer,
Pascal Lexmond,
Dennis de Meulder,
Ron A. M. Fouchier,
Anice C. Lowen,
Sander Herfst

Affiliations

Mathilde Richard: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS)
Judith M. A. van den Brand: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS)
Theo M. Bestebroer: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS)
Pascal Lexmond: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS)
Dennis de Meulder: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS)
Ron A. M. Fouchier: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS)
Anice C. Lowen: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine
Sander Herfst: Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis (CRIP) Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14626-0
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

Read online

Here, the authors perform simultaneous inoculation of genetically tagged influenza A virus in ferrets and show that airborne transmissible viruses are preferentially transmitted from the upper respiratory tract, which correlates with high replication ability in the ferret and human nasal respiratory epithelium.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

About the journal