A review of influenza viruses in seals and the implications for public health.

With the public health community and general population more concerned with influenza than ever before, it is important to explore all potential vectors for the next pandemic. Potential sources include pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). Between subsistence hunting, managed animals, and shared shoreline habitat, humans are more likely to interact with pinnipeds than any other marine mammal. This paper summarizes documented influenza events and research on Phocidae and Otariidae and discusses the potential challenges they present to public health.