Chicken egg antibodies for prophylaxis and therapy of infectious intestinal diseases. V. In vivo studies on protective effects against Escherichia coli diarrhea in pigs.

A field study and a controlled infection trial showed the protective effect of egg yolk lyophilisate and whole egg lyophilisate against enterotoxic E. coli germs. The lyophilisates were gained from eggs of hens immunized against pilus antigen of porcine-enterotoxic E. coli. In a first field study using egg yolk antibodies, 92% of 299 diarrhea affected piglets were cured. In a further field study diarrhea affected piglets were cured after 3 days by application of egg yolk lyophilisate from immunized hens. Piglets treated only with egg yolk of not immunized hens showed no signs of recovery. The infection trial showed, that whole egg lyophilisate of immunized hens was as successful as a common antibiotic therapy in curing piglets, orally infected with 5 x 10(10) E. coli/feeding and animal. The present data show that chicken egg antibodies can be used for treatment of infectious diarrheal diseases in young animals. So far they represent a good alternative to the common used antibiotic therapy.