Seven K88-negative porcine enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, representing three different serogroups, caused severe diarrhea and characteristically colonized the ileum, but not the jejunum, of intragastrically exposed newborn pigs. Bacterial counts of intestinal contents and wall, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy all suggested that these strains colonized the ileum by adhesion to the villous epithelium. However, in ligated intestinal loops, these enteropathogenic E. coli strains adhered to jejunal epithelium as well as to ileal epithelium. Acapsular (K-) mutants, derived from one of the principal strains, retained their colonizing and adhesive abilities, whereas Kmutants from three other enteropathogenic E. coli strains did not. It is suggested that: (i) these K88-negative enteropathogenic E. coli colonize the ileum by adhesion, and (ii) the adhesion of some K88-negative strains is mediated by surface factors other than, or in addition to, the polysaccharide K antigen. ' Visiting scientist from the Veterinary Institute, Szombathely, Hungary.

Several strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolated from pigs were found to have an antigen (K99) previously reported only on strains of calf and lamb origin and which facilitates intestinal colonization in the latter two species. Several human ETEC were also tested for K99; however, none were positive. Each of four K99-positive ETEC strains of calf origin and one of pig origin produced K99 in pig ileum in vivo, adhered to villous epithelium in pig ileum, colonized pig ileum, and caused profuse diarrhea in newborn pigs. In contrast to the K99-positive strains above, four K99-negative ETEC from humans and chickens and one K99-positive ETEC from a calf either did not colonize pig ileum or did so inconsistently. When the K99-negative strains did colonize, they had little or no tendency to adhere to intestinal villi. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that K99 facilitates adhesion to and colonization of pig ileum by some ETEC.

The response of infant mice to heat-stable enterotoxin from Escherichia coli was affected by the age of the mice (2, 4, 6, and 8 days) and by the ambient temperature (25, 30, and 3700) after exposure to the enterotoxin. The younger mice and/or mice held at lower temperatures tended to accumulate intestinal fluid (high gut weight/body weight ratios), but older mice and/or mice held at higher temperatures tended to respond with diarrhea and had low gut weight/body weight ratios. The standard infant mouse assay for heat-stable E. coli enterotoxin can be simplified, without loss of sensitivity or reliability, by holding the mice at 370C after exposure and using diarrhea as the index of response. Diarrhea can be detected easily by incorporating dye in the inocula and (at the end of the assay) checking for dye mixed with feces on the rear quarters of the mice or on a sheet of white paper placed under them during incubation.

Volume 13, no. 1, the legends to Fig. 1 (p. 241) and Fig. 4 (p. 243) should be reversed. The legend to Fig. 1 should read "Scanning electron photomicrograph .. "and the legend to Fig. 4 should read "Higher magnification of Fig. 3 . . . "

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