Experimental inoculation of foals and pigs with an enterotoxigenic E. coli isolated from a foal.

This research discusses an experiment involving the inoculation of foals and pigs with a strain of E. coli bacteria. The results reveal that while the E. coli strain did not cause diarrhoea in foals, it did lead to negative health outcomes in pigs, suggesting its adverse role in animal health.

Identification and experimentation with E. coli strain 807-13

• The E. coli strain involved in the study is identified as 807-13, which belongs to type O149:NM:K88(STb+, LT+), isolated from the feces of a neonatal foal suffering from diarrhea.
• Researchers specifically tested this E. coli strain for its ability to adhere to the brush border membranes (BBM) – the microsurfaces of cells in the intestines – of foals, adult horses and pigs.

Experiment Outcomes

• The findings from the study showed that E. coli 807-13 did not adhere to the BBM of the equine family (foals and horses), but did adhere to that of pigs.
• Despite its non-adherence to equine BBMs, the research indicated that it does not cause diarrhea or colonize the intestinal lining in foals,whether they were newly born and deprived of colostrum or being nursed normally.
• However, notable findings from the experiment included acute ulcerative gastritis and acute suppurative gastritis in two colostrum-deprived challenged foals as well as acute neutrophilic enteritis in one colostrum-deprived and one normal suckled challenged foal. Such conditions involve inflammation and potential damage to the stomach lining, showing some harmful impact of this E.coli strain.

Effects on Pigs

• Pigs, in contrast, showed drastically different responses to the E. coli 807-13 strain, both for gnotobiotic (germ-free) and suckled pigs.
• Both groups of pigs developed diarrhea after being exposed to E. coli 807-13 and the bacteria successfully colonized the intestinal epithelium of the pigs. This colonization is usually associated with infection and disease in the host organism.

Conclusions

• Through these results, the research provides valuable evidence of the potential role of E. coli 807-13 in causing gastrointestinal diseases in different animals.
• Even though it did not result in diarrhoea in foals, the histopathological (relating to the microscopic study of tissue to detect disease) evidence of gastritis and enteritis among the foals indicated some implication of E. coli 807-13 in causing these diseases.
• Consequently, the study emphasizes the need for more specific measures to prevent or mitigate the impacts of such E.coli strains on animal health.