Attachment 1: Statement of Work Ferrets USDA NADC 2026

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Statement of Work

1.0

Project

Influenza A virus pathogenesis and host response in ferrets, and interspecies transmission between ferrets and swine. General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

Ferrets are naturally susceptible to infection with human influenza A and B viruses with clinical signs and pathology resembling closely those seen in humans and are widely considered the gold standard model for influenza infection in humans (Belser et al., 2011). The objective is to test the susceptibility of ferrets to infection with animal and human influenza A viruses (IAV) and to develop intervention strategies against swine IAV infecting humans or human viruses infecting swine. Swine may be infected with human, avian and swine lineage IAV, resulting in potential disease as well as reassortment and generation of novel viruses. This may result in viruses that are a risk for human zoonotic infections or potential pandemics. Evaluation of the host response and intervention strategies such as vaccines will be tested, species-specific tropisms will be examined, and inter-species transmission of IAV between swine and ferrets (as a model of humans) will be characterized. Ferret anti-sera is the gold standard to monitor antigenic change in the surface glycoproteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA).
If low pathogenic avian IAV (LPAI) would be used under this protocol, they will be strains characterized by the source lab as low path by the standard measures described in accordance with 9 CFR §121.3(c). I have no specific avian viruses selected for ferret studies, but we leave LPAIV in the protocol as a contingency if something arises that we need to move quickly to conduct a study because of our partnership with SEPRL and the NIH Centers for Excellence in Influenza Research and Response.

2.0 Background

Ferrets are widely considered the gold standard model for influenza infection and immunity in humans (Belser et al., 2011). IAV is an important viral pathogen shared among many species, including pigs and people. Understanding transmission of IAV viruses between pigs and humans is necessary to assess the potential risk to animal and public health. To gain this understanding it is vital to conduct animal studies requiring the direct inoculation of ferrets with IAV from multiple hostlineages and perform transmission studies between ferrets and swine, or the reverse, direct inoculation of pigs to study transmission from swine to ferrets. Studies to understand the virulence mechanisms, host restriction factors as well as