Effect of acupuncture on young pigs with induced enteropathogenic Escherichia coli diarrhea

Thirty-four preweaning pigs with induced enteropathogenic Escherichia coli diarrhea were treated with electroacupuncture, traditional acupuncture, or neomycin. In the group treated with electroacupuncture, points GV-1, bilateral ST-36, and Bai-hui were stimulated electrically. In the group treated with traditional acupuncture, points GV-1, bilateral ST-36, BL-20, bulb points, bilateral ear tip, and Shan-gen were used. Acupuncture points CV-12 and bilateral ST-25 also were treated with moxibustion (applying heat generated by a burning herb, Artemisia argyi). Hemoacupuncture also was applied to Shan-gen, bilateral ear tip, and bulb points. Pigs in the third group were given neomycin orally. Five pigs were inoculated with E coli, but were not treated and served as nontreated controls. At postinoculation day 5, 60% of control pigs and greater than 80% of pigs in treated groups recovered from diarrhea. However, at postinoculation day 3, recovery rates for pigs in the control and group treated with electroacupuncture were only 20 and 27.3%, respectively; whereas pigs treated with acupuncture or neomycin attained 81.8 and 71.4% of recovery rates, respectively. Seemingly, traditional acupuncture, but not electroacupuncture, was effective in controlling induced E coli diarrhea in pigs at its early stage.