Lack of influenza transmission to an inhaling life-like manikin from naturally influenza-infected human volunteers

A standard shop display manikin was customised with a life-like inhalation cycle, to simulate a human recipient and exposed to a natural exhalation flows (breathing, talking, coughing) from influenza-infected volunteers. Any aerosolised droplets that were inhaled by the recipient manikin containing influenza were captured onto filters fitted into mouth of the manikin. These were tested for influenza RNA using a sensitive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assay. No influenza RNA was detected in any other filter sample. This suggests that the viral load in aerosolized droplets produced by these natural human exhalation flows may be significantly less than that found in diagnostic swabs from the same source.