TRANSMISSION OF PROLIFERATIVE ENTERITIS TO SWINE BY USE OF EMBRYONATING CHICKEN EGGS

Embryonating eggs were inoculated with filtered porcine ileal mucosa c ontaining intracellular curved rods (ICR) and incubated for 4 to 6 day s. Three of 12 pigs given the eggs per os developed microscopic lesion s of proliferative enteritis (PE). Nonchallenge-exposed control pigs d id not develop lesions of PE. Four of six positive control pigs given ileal mucosa from pigs with PE also developed microscopic lesions of P E. All of the PE lesions were found in pigs necropsied 10 to 29 days a fter challenge exposure. None of the swine in the study had clinical s igns or gross lesions of PE. Campylobacter spp were isolated from pigs with and without exposure to the ileal mucosa from pigs with PE. Ther e was no relationship between Campylobacter spp isolation and developm ent of lesions. Deoxyribonucleic acids extracted from embryonating chi cken eggs injected with the equivalent of 0.5 mg of mucosal lesions an d incubated for 4 days hybridized to a DNA probe specific for the ICR, whereas DNA extracted from 1.5 mg of mucosal homogenates of the same proliferative tissue did not hybridize with the same probe. Results of these experiments indicated that ICR injected into eggs remained infe ctive for pigs and suggest replication of ICR in the first-passage egg s.