Ta. Casey et al., EXPRESSION OF HEAT-STABLE ENTEROTOXIN STB BY ADHERENT ESCHERICHIA-COLI IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SEVERE DIARRHEA IN NEONATAL PIGS, Infection and immunity, 66(3), 1998, pp. 1270-1272
The role of Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin B (STb) in neonat
al porcine diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic E. coli was examined by
comparing adherent isogenic strains with or without STb. The cloned ST
b gene (in the plasmid pRAS1) was electroporated into a nonenterotoxig
enic strain (226M) which expresses the F41 adhesin. Strain 226M pRAS1
adhered and expressed STb in vivo, causing fluid secretion in ligated
ileal loops in neonatal pigs. Although Strain 226M pRAS1 caused very m
ild diarrhea in some orally inoculated neonatal pigs, the weight loss
in these pigs was similar to that caused by the parental strain withou
t STb. We conclude that STb does not significantly contribute to diarr
hea caused by enterotoxigenic E. coli in neonatal pigs.