Experimental Infection of Infant Rabbits with Verocytotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli of Bovine Origin

Abstract

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 10⁹ 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.