Experimental Cholera in Germ-free and Gnotobiotic Piglets

Abstract

We have previously reported that two to five weeks old germ-free piglets developed cholera-like watery diarrhea consistently after orogastric inoculation with cholera toxin or Vibrio cholerae Inaba 569B.1) Because Inaba 569B is an extraordinarily hypertoxigenic strain of Vibrio cholerae, we have further evaluated the germ-free piglet model by using strains with lower toxigenicity as the challenge organism. Vibrio cholerae El Tor Inaba P6973, El Tor Inaba T348 and Ogawa NIH41, which produce toxin at the same level as current isolates, were used as challenge strains.2)