J Vet Sci.  2003 Aug;4(2):125-128.

Effect of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Young Pigs with Induced Escherichia coli Diarrhea

• Park ES
• Jo S
• Seong JK
• Nam TC
• Yang IS
• Choi MC
• Yoon YS

Abstract

The effect of acupuncture in the treatment of young pigs with induced enteropathogenic Escherichia coli diarrhea was histopathologically evaluated by routine hematoxylin and eosin stain. Thirty two pigs weighed 4-5kg and aged 21days old were used in this study. The animals with diarrhea were treated with traditional acupuncture, or enrofloxacin. In the group treated with traditional acupuncture, acupoint GV1 (Jiaochao) was used and in the group treated with antibiotics, enrofloxacin was injected intramuscularly. Ten pigs were inoculated with E. coli, but were not treated and served as nontreated control group. At postinoculation day 6, all pigs of the acupuncture and antibiotic treated groups recovered from diarrhea. In the ascending and descending colons of the nontreated control group, severe infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria was observed and in the fundic stomach, destruction of the fundic gland architecture and necrotic lesions were observed, however, in the same sites of the acupuncture and antibiotics treated groups, the mucosae of the colon and stomach were relatively similar to those of the normal group. These results indicate that acupuncture treatment is effective in controlling induced E. coli diarrhea in pigs at its early stage.

MeSH Terms

Acupuncture
Animals
Colon/cytology/microbiology/pathology
Diarrhea/therapy/*veterinary
Escherichia coli Infections/therapy/*veterinary
Gastric Mucosa/cytology/microbiology/pathology
Intestinal Mucosa/cytology/microbiology/pathology
Male
Stomach/cytology/microbiology/pathology
Swine
Swine Diseases/*microbiology/therapy