Innovations in modeling influenza virus infections in the laboratory

Abstract

Respiratory viruses represent one of the most substantial infectious disease burdens to the human population today, and in particular, seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses pose a persistent threat to public health worldwide. In recent years, advances in techniques used in experimental research have provided the means to better understand the mechanisms of pathogenesis and transmission of respiratory viruses, and thus more accurately model these infections in the laboratory. Here, we briefly review the model systems used to study influenza virus infections, and focus particularly on recent advances that have increased our knowledge of these formidable respiratory pathogens.

Figure 1

Cartoon representation of aerosols shed from influenza virus-infected ferrets during (a) normal breathing and (b) sneezing. The majority of aerosols are <1 μm, but infectious virus (shown in red) is detectable in small and large particles.