Intranasal infection with Bordetella bronchiseptica in gnotobiotic piglets

Nineteen gnotobiotic piglets, four to six days old, from three different litters, were inoculated intranasally on three consecutive days with a pure culture of Bordetella bronchiseptica. Necropsy 10 to 30 days after inoculation revealed atrophic rhinitis lesions in all and pneumonia in 13 (73 per cent)infected piglets. One died of septicaemia two days after inoculation. Agglutinating antibodies were detected in the sera of all piglets necropsied from 17 to 30 days after inoculation. Five control piglets showed no lesions or serological changes.