Enterococcus hirae implicated as a cause of diarrhea in suckling rats.

A Lancefield group D enteric streptococcus was isolated from diarrheic suckling rats that had been inoculated orally with stool from a diarrheic human. After oral administration of the organism to other suckling rats, diarrhea was reproduced, and the enteric streptococcus was reisolated. The brush border of small intestinal villi in affected animals was coated with numerous adherent gram-positive cocci. The organism was identified as Enterococcus hirae by a battery of biochemical tests. These and previous studies indicate that certain enterococci should be considered as etiologic agents of diarrheal disease in neonatal animals.