The pathogenesis of enteric changes was studied in gnotobiotic piglets which, 
after hysterectomy had been infected orally with Campylobacter jejuni on the 
first day of their life. The involvement of the entire large intestine became 
clinically manifest by scouring on days post infection (DPI) 4 to DPI 5, and 
pathomorphologically, by simultaneous inflammation and severe edema of the 
intestinal wall. Histology and SEM revealed inflammatory edema with abundant 
neutrophils, microulcerations, focal propagation and activation of goblet cells, 
and a presence of mucin-positive material within the intestinal lumen. TEM 
examination revealed disconnected interdigitating folds and wide dilated 
intercellular spaces between enterocytes. The endothelial cells of small blood 
vessels in the lamina propria showed hypertrophy with increase in the thickness 
of their basal lamina. Ultrastructural lesions of the large intestinal 
microcirculation also support the hypothesis that disturbances in the vascular 
system are responsible for edema in the cecum and colon. Gnotobiotic piglets may 
be used as a suitable animal model to study colitis induced by C. jejuni.