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Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, May 2007, p. 585-592, Vol. 14, No. 5
1071-412X/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00468-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Maternal Milk Contains Antimicrobial Factors That Protect Young Rabbits from Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Infection

Mélanie Gallois,^1, Thierry Gidenne,¹ Christian Tasca,² Cécile Caubet,² Cécile Coudert,² Alain Milon,² and Séverine Boullier^2*

INRA, UMR 1289 TANDEM, Chemin de Borde-Rouge-Auzeville, BP 52627, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, INP-ENSAT, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, and ENVT, F-31076 Toulouse Cedex 3, France,¹ UMR INRA-ENVT 1225, Physiopathologie et Immunité des Muqueuses, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 chemin des Capelles, BP 87614, 31076 Toulouse, France²

Received 8 December 2006/ Returned for modification 26 January 2007/ Accepted 22 February 2007

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) colibacillosis represents a major cause of lethal diarrhea in young children in developing countries. EPEC strains also infect numerous mammal species and represent a major economical problem in rabbit industry. Protection against this pathogen is a challenging goal both in humans and in other mammal species. Despite a good knowledge of the pathogenicity mechanisms of EPEC, the intrinsic and environmental factors that control the expression of EPEC virulence in mammals remain unknown. For instance, the exacerbated sensitivity of young mammals to EPEC infection is still unexplained. Our goal was to investigate if age or other factors, like milk consumption, could be determinants that trigger the disease. We used rabbits as an animal model to study the role of milk in the sensitivity to an EPEC infection. Weaned and suckling rabbits were orally inoculated with EPEC strain E22 (O103:H2:K–) at 28 days of age, and the evolution of the disease was investigated in the two groups. In addition, in order to better characterize the interactions between milk and EPEC, we determined in vitro bacterial growth and the abilities of EPEC cells to adhere to epithelial cells in the presence of milk. Our results demonstrate a protective role of milk in vivo in association with in vitro antibacterial activity. These effects are independent of the presence of specific anti-EPEC antibodies.

Published ahead of print on 7 March 2007.

Present address: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Laboratoire de Pharmacologie-Toxicologie 180 chemin de Tournefeuille, BP3 31931 Toulouse cedex 9, France.