Article ID: JJID.2021.745
Ferrets are animals that are known to be susceptible to influenza A virus (IAV) infection. To evaluate the risk of IAV transmission from diseased ferrets to humans, we performed a serosurvey to detect specific antibodies against the H1, H3, H5, and H7 subtypes of IAV. We found a high positive rate of the H1 (24.1%) and H3 (5.2%) subtypes in pet ferrets by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for hemagglutinin proteins. The results were confirmed by the virus-neutralization test for representative antibody-positive serum samples. We also detected hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes in two ferrets showing acute respiratory illness and whose owner was diagnosed with IAV infection; a human H1N1pdm virus was isolated from one of these ferrets. Our findings suggest that attention should be paid for IAV infection from humans to ferrets, and vice versa.
