Studies on the pathogenesis of Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella choleraesuis var kunzendorf infection in weanling pigs.

Twenty-six 4-week-old pigs were randomly allotted to 4 groups: group 1--orally inoculated with Salmonella typhimurium; group 2--orally dosed with S choleraesuis; and groups 3 and 4, with surgically constructed intestinal loops--loops inoculated with either S typhimurium or S choleraesuis. One pig each from groups 1 and 2 was killed at 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours after inoculation. One pig each from groups 3 and 4 was killed at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours after intestinal loop inoculation. Inoculation of S typhimurium resulted in acute enterocolitis of variable severity, whereas inoculation of S choleraesuis resulted initially in septicemia followed by formation of large necrotic and ulcerative lesions in the colonic mucosa. The most consistent systemic lesion of S choleraesuis infection was interstitial pneumonia and multifocal hepatic necrosis. Salmonella typhimurium and S choleraesuis were ultrastructurally within enterocytes of ligated ileal loops. Intracellular bacteria were morphologically intact, occurred free in the cytoplasm and membrane bound, and caused no detectable cytotoxic effect to the cell. Both S typhimurium and S choleraesuis penetrated the intestinal mucosa and were isolated from mesenteric lymph nodes at 2 hours after inoculation.