Amplicon sequencing of barcoded influenza from ferrets exposed under different ventilation conditions

Spread of influenza viruses relies on efficient person-to-person transmission. We developed a model system of transmission to assess the impact of ventilation rates on the rate of infection and viral population diversity in ferrets. We exposed four immunologically naive recipient ferrets to a donor ferret infected with a genetically barcoded 2009 H1N1 virus (H1N1pdm09) for four hours. The ferrets interacted in a shared space that included toys, similar to a child care setting. The transmission efficiency was determined under conditions of low and high ventilation rates.