title: A quantitative model of invasive Pseudomonas infection in burn injury.
abstract: To evaluate newer therapies for wound infections, it becomes necessary to quantify bacteria that invade from the infected wounds into the adjacent tissues. For example, antibody-targeted photolysis targets the invasive Pseudomonas with antibodies carrying photochemical dyes. A full-thickness burn wound was infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a modification of previous methods. In mice, a skin fold was elevated, and two preheated brass blocks at 92 degrees to 95 degrees C were applied for 5 seconds, producing a 5% total body surface area injury with discrete margins. The eschars were immediately inoculated with Pseudomonas. Survival at 10 days was 100% with burn injury alone and 60% with infected burns. Pseudomonas (10(8)/gm) were recovered from the unburned muscle by 24 hours. The method produced uniform and reproducible quantitative bacteriology within the muscle immediately beneath the burn injury (SL < 0.05). Quantitative comparisons can be used to determine the effectiveness of newer modalities to control Pseudomonas burn wound infections.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Friedberg
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Barnhill
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yarmush
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Tompkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009132:Muscles / Q000382:microbiology; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015996:Survival Rate; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*