title: Lethal burn-induced bacterial translocation: role of genetic resistance.
abstract: Since genetic factors may influence outcome after trauma or during infection, the current experiments were performed to examine the resistance of three genetically different mouse strains to burn-induced bacterial translocation. Outbred ICR, inbred Balb/c, and inbred C57/B1 mice, with a normal or disrupted (monoassociated with Escherichia coli C25) GI tract microflora, were subjected to sham or actual 25% body burns. In Balb/c, but not ICR mice, replacing the normal intestinal microflora with E. coli C25 converted the thermal injury from a nonlethal (0% mortality) to a lethal (68% mortality) injury. The increased mortality of the burned Balb/c mice monoassociated with E. coli C25 was associated with a higher incidence (p less than 0.05) and magnitude (p less than 0.05) of E. coli C25 translocation from the GI tract. The C57/B1 mice were intermediate between the Balb/c and ICR strains, in that C57/B1 mice monoassociated with E. coli C25 had a higher mortality and greater E. coli C25 translocation than mice with a normal microflora after thermal injury. Thus the composition of the intestinal microflora as well as the genetic background of the host influence the susceptibility of the host to burn-induced bacterial translocation and survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, LSU Medical Center, Shreveport 71130-3932.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Deitch
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Berg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008643:Mesentery; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000235:genetics*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000235:genetics*; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR / Q000235:genetics*; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology