What Carries H1N1?

Answer 1

There are different influenza viruses that fall into the category of H1N1. The original H1N1 was literally the Swine Flu, a disease of the pig. Mutations of this have resulted in slightly different viruses that are carried by (i.e., able to infect) other animals as well, e.g., H1N1/09, the pandemic novel swine flu of 2009. There are no real "carriers" of influenza (people/animals who have the virus and spread it but don't have the manifestation of infection themselves). If you become infected with influenza, you will be infected and not a "carrier".

Besides pigs, the most common reservoir of Type A H1N1 viruses are birds, especially water birds. But, as we learned in the 2009 pandemic, people, cats, dogs, ferrets, poultry, pigs, birds, and several other types of animals are capable of having an infection by some of the H1N1 flu viruses.