Infections with low pathogenicity and highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H7N9) viruses affected poultry in 4 states in the southeastern United States in 2017. We evaluated pathogenicity and transmission of representative viruses in mouse and ferret models and examined replication kinetics in human respiratory tract cells. These viruses can cause respiratory infections in mammalian models.
Keywords: H7N9 subtype; HPAI; LPAI; Tennessee; United States; cell culture; ferrets; highly pathogenic avian influenza virus; influenza; influenza virus; low pathogenicity avian influenza virus; mammalian pathogenesis; mice; outbreaks; respiratory infections; transmission; viruses.