I do not know how accurate it is.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=abAA7cQlO4Nc

According to the article when ferret actually get swine flu it has the
potential to more easily get deeply into the lungs.

It says that findings conflict on how readily ferrets can catch swine
flu, though. I have not encountered the more recent studies but till
now ferrets have not seemed terribly susceptible to swine flu types of
influenza (which agrees with CDC findings), though they say another
recent study does not find them any less susceptible than with other
influenza types they get.

Abstracts of articles referenced for the story:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1177238

Transmission and Pathogenesis of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza
Viruses in Ferrets and MiceTaronna R. Maines 1, Akila Jayaraman 2,
Jessica A. Belser 3, Debra A. Wadford 1, Claudia Pappas 1,Hui Zeng 1,
Kortney M. Gustin 1, Melissa B. Pearce 1, Karthik Viswanathan 2,
Zachary H. Shriver 2,Rahul Raman 2, Nancy J. Cox 1, Ram Sasisekharan
2, Jacqueline M. Katz 1, Terrence M. Tumpey 1*
1 Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
30333, USA.
2 Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Koch
Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biological
Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, E25-519,
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
3 Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
30333, USA.

Recent reports of mild to severe influenza-like illness in humans
caused by a novel swine-origin 2009 A(H1N1) influenza virus underscore
the need to better understand the pathogenesis and transmission of
these viruses in mammals. Here, selected 2009 A(H1N1) isolates were
assessed for their ability to cause disease in mice and ferrets, and
compared with a contemporary seasonal H1N1 virus for their ability to
transmit by respiratory droplets to naïve ferrets. In contrast to
seasonal influenza H1N1 virus, 2009 A(H1N1) viruses caused increased
morbidity, replicated to higher titers in lung tissue, and were
recovered from the intestinal tract of intranasally inoculated
ferrets. The 2009 A(H1N1) viruses exhibited less efficient respiratory
droplet transmission in ferrets in comparison to the high-
transmissible phenotype of a seasonal H1N1 virus. Transmission of the
2009 A(H1N1) viruses was further corroborated by characterizing the
binding specificity of the viral hemagglutinin to the sialylated
glycan receptors (in the human host) using dose-dependent direct
receptor binding and human lung tissue binding assays.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1177127

Pathogenesis and Transmission of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza
Virus in FerretsVincent J. Munster 1
----------

, Emmie de Wit 1

----------

, Judith M. A. van den Brand 1, Sander Herfst 1,Eefje J. A. Schrauwen
1, Theo M. Bestebroer 1, David van de Vijver 1, Charles A. Boucher
1,Marion Koopmans 2, Guus F. Rimmelzwaan 1, Thijs Kuiken 1, Albert D.
M. E. Osterhaus 1,Ron. A. M. Fouchier 1*
1 National Influenza Center and Department of Virology, Erasmus
Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
2 National Influenza Center and Department of Virology, Erasmus
Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.; National Institute for
Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.


----------

These authors contributed equally to this work.

The swine-origin influenza A(H1N1) virus that has emerged in humans in
early 2009 has raised concerns about pandemic developments. In a
ferret pathogenesis and transmission model, the 2009 A(H1N1) virus was
found to be more pathogenic than a seasonal A(H1N1) virus, with more
extensive virus replication occurring in the respiratory tract.
Replication of seasonal A(H1N1) virus was confined to the nasal cavity
of ferrets, but 2009 A(H1N1) also replicated in the trachea, bronchi,
and bronchioles. Virus shedding was more abundant from the upper
respiratory tract for 2009 A(H1N1) virus by comparison with seasonal
virus, and transmission via aerosol or respiratory droplets was
equally efficient. These data suggest that the 2009 A(H1N1) virus has
the ability to persist in the human population, potentially with more
severe clinical consequences.


Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html



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