title: Relationship of iron administration to susceptibility of newborn pigs to enterotoxic colibacillosis.
abstract: To determine whether supplemental iron (Fe) administration to newborn pigs reared in concrete pens not only prevents anemia, but renders the pigs more susceptible to Escherichia coli-induced diarrheal disease, pigs were given a large or a small dose of Fe IM or orally before or after challenge exposure with E coli. The controls were challenge-exposed pigs not given Fe and pigs not challenge exposed (Fe-treated and nontreated groups). Although the mortality of the pigs challenge exposed with E coli and administered a large oral dose of Fe shortly after birth was greater than that of the challenge-exposed pigs given no Fe, differences in mortality were not noted between any of the groups tested when the Fe was injected IM. The Fe-treated survivors had severe diarrhea (oral Fe administration) or mild diarrhea (IM Fe administration) for longer periods than did the nontreated survivors. All challenge-exposed pigs treated with a large dose of Fe gained less weight than the nontreated pigs during the diarrheal period and for several days thereafter. Beyond this time period, the weight gain of the Fe-treated pigs was substantially greater than that of their nontreated littermates; the weight gain of the pigs given a small dose of Fe was intermediate. Hemoglobin and hematocrit values of the pigs shortly after birth and weekly thereafter revealed that within 2 weeks, both sets of values from the pigs treated with a large dose of Fe were within acceptable laboratory limits and substantially greater than the values obtained for the nontreated pigs, which were severely anemic.
mesh_terms: D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000382:microbiology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D007505:Iron-Dextran Complex / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D007505:Iron-Dextran Complex