Passive protection of segmented swine colonic loops against swine dysentery.

Swine-ligated loops were used to demonstrate passive protection against swine dysentery. Loops inoculated with immune sera containing complement and with homologous Treponema hyodysenteriae were normal at necropsy. Loops inoculated with heat-inactivated immune sera and heterologous T hyodysenteriae were not protected. Loops inoculated with heat-inactivated immune sera and homologous T hyodysenteriae were partially protected. Positive control loops inoculated with isolate B204 (88%) or B234 (44%) T hyodysenteriae and normal sera developed lesions typical of swine dysentery, whereas negative control loops inoculated with nonexposed sera only were normal.