Pulmonary bacterial deposition and clearance during ascarid larval migration in weanling pigs

Pulmonary deposition and clearance of bacteria were measured in weanling pigs, half of which had been inoculated at age 31 days with larvated Ascaris suum ova. Seven days later, when breathing signs of larval migration were pronounced, all pigs were exposed to aerosolized Escherichia coli (strain B). Then, either immediately after aerosol exposure (for deposition assessment) or immediately after a 120 minute period in filtered air (for clearance), bacteria in the pigs' lungs were counted. Ascarid ova-inoculated pigs did not differ significantly from control pigs for number of bacteria in the lungs after aerosol exposure, but after the 120 minute clearance period they had 7.2 times more than did the control pigs. Thus, in weanling pigs, the breathing-pattern changes that were evident during ascarid-larval migration did not affect pulmonary deposition of inhaled bacteria significantly, but the presence of ascarid larvae in the lungs was associated with impaired pulmonary bacterial clearance.