EXPERIMENTAL KLEBSIELLA AND SALMONELLA INFECTION IN NEONATAL SWINE

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  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 43  (2) , 200-206
Abstract
Colostrum-fed piglets (20) from 3 sows were separated from the sows 24 h after birth and were randomly divided into 5 groups of 4 piglets each. Every piglet in each of 4 test groups was orally inoculated with about 1010 colony forming units of S. typhimurium, S. cholerae-suis var. kunzendorf or 1 of 2 isolates of K. pneumoniae. One group served as uninoculated controls. Piglets infected with K. pneumoniae developed severe diarrhea beginning about 12 h after inoculation. They became dehydrated and weak but continued to drink. There were no morphological alterations in intestinal mucosa when piglets were killed and necropsied 48 or 72 h after inoculation. K. pneumoniae was isolated from intestine and feces but not from liver or spleen. Piglets inoculated with S. cholerae-suis became lethargic and disinterested in food by 24 h after inoculation. Diarrhea developed by 48 h after inoculation. Lesions at necropsy 60 or 72 h post-inoculation were subcutaneous edema, mesenteric lymphadenitis, diffuse intestinal superficial mucosal necrosis with villous atrophy, and focal deep ulceration in the ileum. S. cholerae-suis was isolated from all segments of intestine and from feces, liver and spleen. Piglets inoculated with S. typhimurium developed a relatively mild diarrheal disease with lesions similar to those with S. cholerae-suis infection but less severe. The inoculated organism was recovered from all areas of intestine and from feces, liver and spleen. Serum from infected and control piglets had high (> 1:256) agglutinating titers against S. typhimurium but low titers (0-1:8) against S. cholerae-suis. The agglutinins were assumed to originate from colostral antibodies.