An aggregated dataset of serially collected influenza A virus morbidity and titer measurements from virus-infected ferrets.

Data from influenza A virus (IAV) infected ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) provides invaluable information towards the study of novel and emerging viruses that pose a threat to human health. This gold standard animal model can recapitulate many clinical signs of infection present in IAV-infected humans, support virus replication of human and zoonotic strains without prior adaptation, and permit evaluation of virus transmissibility by multiple modes. While ferrets have been employed in risk assessment settings for >20 years, results from this work are typically reported in discrete stand-alone publications, making aggregation of raw data from this work over time nearly impossible. Here, we describe a dataset of 851 ferrets inoculated with 135 unique IAV, conducted by a single research group (NCIRD/ID/IPB/Pathogenesis Laboratory Team) under a uniform experimental protocol. This collection of morbidity, mortality, and viral titer data represents the largest publicly available dataset to date of in vivo-generated IAV infection outcomes on a per-individual ferret level. Published Data Descriptor for more information: Kieran TJ, Sun X, Creager HM, Tumpey TM, Maines TR, Belser JA. 2024. An aggregated dataset of serial morbidity and titer measurements from influenza A virus-infected ferrets. Sci Data 11, 510. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03256-6 Additional publications using and describing data: Kieran TJ, Sun X, Maines TR, Beauchemin CAA, Belser JA. 2024. Exploring associations between viral titer measurements and disease outcomes in ferrets inoculated with 125 contemporary influenza A viruses. J Virol. 98:e01661-23. https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01661-23 Belser JA, Kieran TJ, Mitchell ZA, Sun X, Mayfield K, Tumpey TM, Spengler JR, Maines TR. 2024. Key considerations to improve the normalization, interpretation and reproducibility of morbidity data in mammalian models of viral disease. Dis Model Mech; 17 (3): dmm050511. https://doi.org/10.1242/dmm.050511 Kieran TJ, Sun X, Maines TR, Belser JA. 2024. Machine learning approaches for influenza A virus risk assessment identifies predictive correlates using ferret model in vivo data. Communications Biology 7, 927. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06629-0 Kieran TJ, Sun X, Maines TR, Belser JA. 2025. Predictive models of influenza A virus lethal disease: insights from ferret respiratory tract and brain tissues. Scientific Reports, 15, 24342. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09154-0. Belser JA, Kieran TJ, Truelove MA, Daggett Jr G, Jean SM, Maines TR. 2026. Paired versus Single Housing of Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) Does Not Influence Experimental Outcomes of Influenza A Virus Pathogenesis Studies. Journal of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science, Feb 1:1-9 https://doi.org/10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-25-191 Additional publications supporting responsible use and interpretation of data by others: Kieran TJ, Maine TR, Belser JA. 2025. Eleven quick tips to unlock the power of in vivo data science. PLoS Comput Biol, 21(4):e1012947. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012947 Kieran TJ, Maines TR, Belser JA. 2025. Data alchemy, from lab to insight: Transforming in vivo experiments into data science gold. PLoS Pathog, 20(8):e1012460. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012460 Change / Update Log: Nov 7, 2024: Corrected typographical errors in Origin column for A/Ohio/13/2017 and A/Hawaii/28/2020 July 1, 2025: Added 3 viruses (A/Texas/36/1991, A/Texas/37/2024, A/Michigan/90/2024, total n=18 new rows) March 9, 2026: Added 6 viruses (A/Washington/239/2024, A/California/147/2024, A/Colorado/137/2024, A/British Columbia/PHL-2032/2024, A/Massachusetts/19/2022, A/Puerto Rico/8/1934, total n=105 rows)