[Experimental infection of infant rabbits with verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli of bovine origin].

Infant rabbits were used as a model to study the diarrhogenicity of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) isolated from bovine. Infant rabbits aged 6 days were inoculated intragastrically with 10(9) viable bacteria of four VTEC or three non-VTEC strains. Of these strains, three strains (VT+, eaeA+), one strain (VT+, eaeA-) and one strain (VT-, eaeA+) caused diarrhea in rabbits 48 to 60 hr after inoculation. None of the two strains (VT-, eaeA-) caused symptoms. Based on these results, it is suggested that the 6-day-old infant rabbit is a suitable animal for studying diarrhea caused by VTEC or eaeA-positive E. coli strains of bovine origin.