Effects of weaning on diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in three-week-old pigs.

We attempted to determine whether weaning is required for induction of diarrhea in pigs with postweaning enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection. Three-week-old newly weaned pigs and their suckling littermates were inoculated with the K88+ enterotoxigenic E coli strain M1823B. Fourteen of 21 weaned and 12 of 20 suckling pigs were genetically resistant to intestinal adhesion by the K88+ strain of E coli; they remained healthy, and gained weight at similar rates. Both groups of K88-resistant pigs gained weight faster, and shed fewer bacteria of strain M1823B in their feces, than did their K88-susceptible counterparts. Diarrhea developed in K88-susceptible pigs in the weaned (6 of 7 pigs) and suckling (4 of 8 pigs) groups, and 1 of the 4 affected suckling pigs died from complications resulting from diarrhea. The incidences of diarrhea, weight gain rates, and the numbers of strain M1823B shed in feces of susceptible weaned and suckling pigs were not significantly (P greater than 0.05) different. Diarrhea scores of susceptible weaned pigs were significantly (P less than 0.02) higher than those of susceptible suckling pigs on the second day after inoculation. In this experimental model, it was concluded that weaning is not required for induction of diarrhea, but may modestly increase its severity.