Studies of the pathogenesis of enteric E. coli infections in weaned pigs. The significance of the milk of the dam in preventing the disease.

Milk from sows whose progeny developed post weaning E. coli diarrhoea (PWD milk) and from sows which were immunized by intramuscular vaccination using a homologous strain of E. coli (immune milk) were tested in ligated segments of pig intestine. The results showed that PWD milk neutralized the enterotoxigenic, fluid accumulating capacity of the lysate of the disease-causing E. coli pathogen. A similar effect was seen by using immune milk (Table I). Neither PWD milk nor immune milk contained sufficient antibacterial activity to neutralize the fluid accumulating capacity of live cultures of E. coli O149:K91, while such activity was contained in immune serum. It is concluded that milk from sows whose progeny developed PWD contains antibodies capable of neutralizing the enterotoxigenic effects of the homologous E. coli organisms. It is suggested that the presence in milk from these sows of antibody-mediated activity against enteropathogenic E. coli organisms may be instrumental in preventing the disease in the progeny during the suckling period and consequently, when this protective milk supply stops at weaning, the disease may develop in susceptible animals, mainly because their own production of specific E. coli antibodies is insufficient to prevent PWD.