Experimental inoculation of foals and pigs with an enterotoxigenic E. coli isolated from a foal.
Hemolytic E. coli strain 807-13, O149:NM:K88(STb+, LT+), was isolated from the feces of a neonatal diarrheic foal. E. coli 807-13 was examined for adhesion to brush border membranes (BBM) from foals, adult horses and pigs, and its pathogenicity was assessed in neonatal foals and pigs. E. coli 807-13 did not adhere to equine BBM but adhered to pig BBM. It did not cause diarrhea nor did it colonize the intestinal epithelium of 3 colostrum-deprived and 3 suckled foals challenged at 24 h of age. Acute ulcerative gastritis and acute suppurative gastritis were observed in 2 colostrum-deprived challenged foals, and acute neutrophilic enteritis was observed in 1 colostrum-deprived and in 1 suckled challenged foal. No similar histopathologic lesions were detected in the control foals. Both gnotobiotic and suckled pigs developed diarrhea after challenge exposure to E. coli 807-13 and the intestinal epithelium of the pigs was colonized. Histopathologic evidence of gastritis and enteritis among the foals indicated some complicity of E. coli 807-13 in foal enteric disease.
Holland
R E
RE
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824, USA.
Grimes
S D
SD
Walker
R D
RD
Wilson
R A
RA
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006736:Horses; D007082:Ileum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008871:Microvilli / Q000382:microbiology; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*