Pathogenicity of attaching effacing enteropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from diarrheic suckling and weanling rabbits for newborn rabbits.

The pathogenicity of six strains of Escherichia coli originating from different commercial rabbitries was tested in neonatal rabbits. Two strains isolated from healthy weaned rabbits (O7:H6 and O9:H?) did not induce any clinical sign or lesion. Two strains (O109:H2) isolated from diarrheic suckling rabbits caused yellow diarrhea 36 to 60 h after inoculation and high mortality between 60 and 72 h after infection. At 12 h after infection, light and electron microscopy showed attachment to epithelial cells and effacement of microvilli from proximal small intestine to colon. Bacteria were often present in the apical cytoplasm of epithelial cells. The two strains isolated from diarrheic weanling rabbits (O109:H2 and O15:H-) did not induce any clinical sign. Attachment to epithelial cells and effacement of microvilli was observed 48 h after inoculation in distal small intestine, cecum, and colon. These data are further evidence for the existence of two groups of attaching effacing enteropathogenic E. coli in rabbits, showing different preferences for age group and intestinal compartment.