title: Bacterial translocation after burn injury: the contribution of ischemia and permeability changes.
abstract: Bacterial translocation (BT) has been shown to occur in stress and trauma. In this study, we examined the contribution of altered intestinal permeability (measured with 51Cr-EDTA) and intestinal blood flow (radioactive microspheres) to the loss of intestinal barrier function after burn injury. A 42.6 +/- 0.6% total body surface area scald burn was produced in Sprague-Dawley rats; sham burn animals served as controls. Rats (29 burn and 20 sham burn) were sacrificed 24 h postburn, and mesenteric nodes (MLN), cecum, spleen, and liver were cultured. The incidence of BT was significantly higher in burn compared to shams (MLN, 55 vs. 15%; spleen, 31 vs. 10%; liver, 31 vs. 10%; p < .05). Cecal concentration of Gram-negative bacteria were similar in all rats (5.2 +/- 0.2 x 10(8) colony forming units/g). 5 h postburn, intestinal blood flow decreased significantly in burn (1.60 +/- .20) compared to shams (2.49 +/- .24 ml/min/g, p = .01); at this time, plasma to luminal clearance of 51Cr-EDTA was greater in the burn (.146 +/- .033, N = 9) than in shams (.050 +/- .010 ml/min/100 g, N = 9, p = .001); 24 h postburn, there was no significant difference in intestinal blood flow in sham (2.86 +/- .46, N = 10) and burn rats (2.29 +/- .44 ml/min/g, N = 11); plasma to intestinal lumen clearance of 51Cr-EDTA was similar in sham (.054 +/- .010, N = 11) and burn rats (.051 +/- .006 ml/min/100 g, N = 12) 24 h postburn.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9031, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Horton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004064:Digestive System / Q000098:blood supply / Q000382:microbiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010539:Permeability; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley