U.S. Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Research Service, Lincoln, Nebraska
Date of this Version
2004
Citation
Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 16:79–83 (2004); DOI: 10.1177/104063870401600114
Abstract
Fifteen weaned calves (age 89–141 days) were treated with dexamethasone (0.25 mg/kg, IV) for 3 days before, the day of, and the day after inoculation with 10 colony-forming units of either Escherichia coli O157:H7 (strain 86-24, which produces Shiga toxin 2 and intimin; n=13) or nonpathogenic E. coli (strain 123, which does not produce Shiga toxin or intimin; n=2). All calves were necropsied 4 days after inoculation. Histologic lesions of attaching and effacing bacteria were observed in the large intestine (12/13) and in the gallbladder mucosa (5/13) of calves inoculated with E. coli 86-24. Cholecystitis was present in 12 of 13 calves that received E. coli 86-24. Inoculum bacteria were recovered from the distal colons or feces (13/13) and gallbladders (3/4) of calves inoculated with 86-24.