Transmission of a human isolate of clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) virus in ferrets

Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza (), Jessica A. Belser, Nicole Brock, Troy J. Kieran, Xiangjie Sun, Claudia Pappas, Hui Zeng, Paul Carney, Jessie Chang, Brandon Bradley-Ferrell, James Stevens, Juan A. Cruz, Yasuko Hatta, Han Di, C. Todd Davis, Terrence M. Tumpey and Taronna R. Maines
Additional contact information
Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Jessica A. Belser: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Nicole Brock: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Troy J. Kieran: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Xiangjie Sun: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Claudia Pappas: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hui Zeng: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Paul Carney: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Jessie Chang: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Brandon Bradley-Ferrell: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
James Stevens: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Juan A. Cruz: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Yasuko Hatta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Han Di: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
C. Todd Davis: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Terrence M. Tumpey: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Taronna R. Maines: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Nature, 2024, vol. 636, issue 8043, 705-710

Abstract: Abstract Since 2020, there has been unprecedented global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in wild bird populations with spillover into a variety of mammalian species and sporadically humans1. In March 2024, clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) virus was first detected in dairy cattle in the USA, with subsequent detection in numerous states2, leading to more than a dozen confirmed human cases3,4. In this study, we used the ferret, a well-characterized animal model that permits concurrent investigation of viral pathogenicity and transmissibility5, in the evaluation of A/Texas/37/2024 (TX/37) A(H5N1) virus isolated from a dairy farm worker in Texas6. Here we show that the virus has a remarkable ability for robust systemic infection in ferrets, leading to high levels of virus shedding and spread to naive contacts. Ferrets inoculated with TX/37 rapidly exhibited a severe and fatal infection, characterized by viraemia and extrapulmonary spread. The virus efficiently transmitted in a direct contact setting and was capable of indirect transmission through fomites. Airborne transmission was corroborated by the detection of infectious virus shed into the air by infected animals, albeit at lower levels compared to those of the highly transmissible human seasonal and swine-origin H1 subtype strains. Our results show that despite maintaining an avian-like receptor-binding specificity, TX/37 exhibits heightened virulence, transmissibility and airborne shedding relative to other clade 2.3.4.4b virus isolated before the 2024 cattle outbreaks7, underscoring the need for continued public health vigilance.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08246-7

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