ESCHERICHIA COLI ASSOCIATED WITH COLOSTRUM-FREE NEONATAL PIGS RAISED IN ISOLATION

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine a porcine enteropathogenic serotype(s) in colostrum-free neonatal pigs raised in a sanitary and isolated environment; the distribution of pathogenic serotype(s) in relation to other serotypes in the feces of pigs in this standardized environment; distribution of antibodies to pathogenic serotype(s) and other serotypes in various natural fluids, e. g. colostrum; the relationship of diet to bacteremia and death; and the effect of feeding large numbers of pathogenic serotype(s) to colostrum-free, gamma globulin-free piglets. Mostly, coliforms were isolated from blood or liver of morbid or dead pigs. Since 67% of the typable coliform isolates were Escherichia coli, type 08, the strain was considered the main porcine coli enteropathogen in our standardized environment. Sampling of the feces from both healthy and diarrhetic piglets showed that the strain E. coli 08 made up approximately 20% of the E. coli in the gut of our piglets. Of the bacteremia and death in which E. coli were isolated from blood or liver 85% occurred in piglets fed diets void in bovine and porcine gamma globulin. Agglutinins to E. coli 08, and other serotypes as well, were present in bovine and to a lesser extent in porcine colostrum. Feeding large numbers of E. coli to 2-week-old, colostrum-free, gamma globulin-free, 08 agglutinin-free piglets did not produce visible disease. If antibodies function in the piglets'' resistance to diarrhea, bacteremia and death as caused by E. coli, then such antibodies are necessary only very early in the life of the piglet.