INTRACELLULAR BACTERIA OF PORCINE PROLIFERATIVE ENTEROPATHY - CULTIVATION AND MAINTENANCE INVITRO

An obligate intracellular bacterium was isolated from the intestines o f all 10 cases of porcine proliferative enteropathy from four differen t pig farms. The organism grew in a rat enterocyte cell line (IEC-18) and was maintained over 20 passages. The growth of the bacteria was as sessed by immunostaining of cells exposed to infection. Infection was not associated with morphological cell change, and growth was confined to cells infected at the time of each transfer of infection and the p rogeny of these cells. The bacterium is a microaerophilic, cell depend ent, curved or rod-shaped, gram-negative bacillus that multiplies free ly in the enterocyte cytoplasm. Cell cultures containing the intracell ular bacteria appear to be free of other microorganisms, including chl amydiae and viruses.