Resumen de Influence of two iso-energetic diets (starch vs fat) on experimental colibacillosis (epec) and iota-enterotoxaemia in early weaned rabbits.
J. E. Peeters, Roberta Orsenigo, L. Maertens, D. Gallazzi, M. Colin
Rabbits weaned at 32 days of age were fed one of two isoenergetic (10.6 MJ ADE/kg) and iso-protein (17 %) feeds ad libitum: feed S with 25.8 % starch, 3.2 % fat and 16.2 % acid detergent fibre (ADF) and feed F with 13.1 % starch, 6. 7 % fat and 17.9 % ADF. Both groups were inoculated orally with a toxinogenic Clostridium spiroforme strain NCTC 11493 and/or with a moderately enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strain belonging to sero/biotype 0132/2+. The results suggest that colibacillosis favours iota-enterotoxaemia and vice-versa. Also the feed shows a distinct influence. Feed S favoured iota-enterotoxaemia. The effect was most pronounced in rabbits suffering from simultaneous EPEC nfection. On the other hand the same feed inhibited saprophytic E. co/i-proliferation. In case of experimental EPEC infection, feed S did not inhibit the huge faecal E. coli output, nor the associated diarrhoea and mortality. Yet, histological lesions were less pronounced in the S-group. Moreover, entero-adherent EPEC were still present in one rabbit out of five in group F 28 days p.i., while they were not detectad in any of the S-rabbits. In case of mixed infection (C. spiroforme + EPEC), mortality was lower in group S (2/10) than in group F (5/10). So, feed F might favour colibacillosis. lt was hypothesised that feeds of this type may contribute to the persistence of healthy carriers of enteropathogenic E. coli.
