Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses have spread rapidly throughout North American flyways in recent months, affecting wild birds in over 40 states. We evaluated the pathogenicity and transmissibility of a representative virus using a ferret model and examined replication kinetics of this virus in human respiratory tract cells.
Keywords: H5N1; avian influenza; cell culture; ferret; influenza; respiratory infections; transmission; vaccine-preventable diseases; viruses; zoonoses.