Effect of upper respiratory infection on hearing in the ferret model

In an effort to develop an adult animal model for acquired viral-induced hearing loss, three groups of mature ferrets were inoculated intranasally with respiratory viruses (influenza A/Port Chalmers, influenza B/Mass, and parainfluenza I), which have been implicated as causative agents in idiopathic sudden hearing loss (ISHL). All ferrets challenged with influenza A/Port Chalmers (A/PC) exhibited clinical signs of infection, but neither of the other two groups exhibited such signs. Conductive and/or sensorineural hearing losses were demonstrated in eight of 15 ferrets challenged with influenza A/PC and four of 10 ferrets in the group challenged with influenza B/Mass by brainstem auditory-evoked responses (BAERs) and acoustic immittance. None of the four ferrets infected with parainfluenza I demonstrated auditory dysfunction. When auditory changes were observed, nasal washes were performed, and tissues of the middle and inner ears were collected for viral assay and morphologic examination. All ferrets demonstrating auditory changes were shown to be infected by isolation of virus from nasal tissues. Virus was isolated from eustachian tube tissue in six of the eight ferrets infected with influenza A/PC, which also demonstrated altered BAERs and one of the four infected with influenza B/Mass, which also had auditory changes. Virus was isolated from the middle ear of two ferrets infected with influenza A/PC and from the inner ear of another two ferrets from the same group. These data suggest that influenza A/PC has a greater effect on auditory function in the ferret model than either influenza B/Mass or parainfluenza I and that the ferret may be an appropriate adult model to examine the etiologic role of viral upper respiratory tract infections in some acquired hearing impairments.