Ferrets are susceptible to which of the following diseases?

• A. Human influenza virus
• B. Infectious tracheobronchitis
• C. Pasteurellosis
• D. Sendai virus

Answer: (A)

Ferrets are a classic model for human influenza because their respiratory system and receptor distribution allow human influenza viruses to infect, replicate, and cause disease in a way that resembles humans. When infected with human influenza viruses, ferrets develop fever, nasal discharge, sneezing, and coughing, and the virus can spread between animals, which makes them ideal for studying transmission, pathogenesis, vaccines, and antivirals. That direct relevance to human flu is what makes the human influenza virus the best choice here.

Infectious tracheobronchitis is a dog-associated illness typically caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica and related agents. Pasteurellosis is most famously a disease of rabbits (and can involve other species), not a hallmark ferret disease. Sendai virus is a rodent parainfluenza agent and is not a standard ferret pathogen.