Original Contribution EXPERIMENTAL E. COLI (EPEC) INFECTION IN RABBITS −CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES AND ATTEMPT TO CONTROL WITH AN PHYTOBIOTIC

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to monitor and analyse some epidemiological parameters: time for appearance and duration of bacterial discharge, incubation period, duration of infection; the quantitative parameters: morbidity rate, death rate and lethality. Moreover, some clinical signs as severity of manifested symptoms, course and outcome of the disease were analysed in both groups comprising treated and untreated with the phytobiotic. Some productive traits as daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio and forage consumption per unit weight gain were followed up. METHODS: In recently weaned rabbits, aged 40−45 days, a diarrhoeic syndrome was experimentally reproduced via infection with a reference Е. сoli U83/39 (О15:Н-) strain (EPEC pathovar). Attempts for control of the artificial infection using the phytobiotic Biomin were performed. RESULTS: It was found that the phytobiotic Biomin did not prevent the clinical manifestation of the coli infection. The effect of its application was observed as a delay of the start of discharge of enteropathogenic E. coli strains, reduction of the discharge period as well as prolongation of the incubation period in the treated group. CONCLUSIONS: The economic effect of Biomin supplementation consisted of increased feed conversion ratio, resp. decreased forage consumption per unit weight gain.