WIKIMEDIA, GUY HAIMOVITCHThe H7N9 flu virus can spread between ferrets via respiratory droplets, according to a study published in Science yesterday (July 18). The news strengthens concerns that the virus could spread between humans.
The H7N9 bird flu has killed 43 people and infected 133 since February, according to the World Health Organization. The bulk of the cases were reported in April, and no new cases have been reported since May.
The researchers tested three human strains of the virus, as well as one strain isolated from a chicken and one from a pigeon. They tested the viruses’ transmissibility between pairs of ferrets because the small mammals are considered a close proxy for humans.
The inoculated ferrets were placed in nearby cages and divided by nets from the non-inoculated ferrets. None of the three ferrets exposed to chicken H7N9 contracted the virus. Of the three ferrets exposed to the pigeon H7N9, one contracted it. Two of the strains of ...
