Burn wounds infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa triggers weight loss in rats.
BACKGROUND
Despite dramatic improvements in the management of burns, infection still remains a serious risk for the burn patient. The aim of this study was to shed light on the impact of acute burn injury with or without infection on cytokine profiles.


METHODS
Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 21) were randomized into three groups: 1) burn only 2) burn and infection or 3) sham burn. Weight was monitored and blood was collected for cytokine ELISA, LPS quantification, and peripheral blood analysis. Animals were sacrificed either after 6 or 12 days.


RESULTS
Infected animals showed substantial weight loss until day 6 post-burn as compared to burn alone. Endotoxin and TNF-alpha levels were elevated early in the infected burn group within 48 hours post-burn. In contrast, significant up-regulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 occurred later in the clinical course and was associated with the recovery from weight loss.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that in the presence of infection, you get a SIRS response possibly due to transient endotoxemia that is only seen in the infection group. In contrast, both burn and infection get a late IL-10 (CARS) response, which is then associated with a return to normal weight in the infection group.
Steinstraesser
Lars
L
Dept. of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0666, USA. lars.steinstraesser@rub.de
Burkhard
Olaf
O
Fan
Ming H
MH
Jacobsen
Frank
F
Lehnhardt
Marcus
M
Su
Grace
G
Daigeler
Adrien
A
Steinau
Hans U
HU
Remick
Daniel
D
Wang
Stewart C
SC
D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D015431:Weight Loss; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*
D016207:Cytokines; D004731:Endotoxins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha