Cecal ligation and puncture induced sepsis impairs host defense against Enterococcus faecium peritonitis.
OBJECTIVE
Multiresistant and vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) can cause serious infections in hospitalized patients with various co-morbid diseases. We investigated the course of VRE peritonitis after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis and compared this to sham operated mice.


METHODS
Mice were subjected to CLP or sham surgery. Forty-eight hours thereafter four groups were created by subjecting mice to peritoneal injection of either VRE or saline.


RESULTS
Mice infected with VRE after CLP were severely impaired in eliminating VRE from the peritoneal cavity and distant body sites. These mice failed to mount an early inflammatory response at the primary site of VRE infection. VRE superinfection did not influence CLP-induced organ damage or polymicrobial bacterial loads.


CONCLUSIONS
Sublethal polymicrobial sepsis greatly facilitates infection and dissemination of VRE. VRE does not influence the course of CLP-induced sepsis.
Leendertse
Masja
M
Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.leendertse@amc.uva.nl
Willems
Rob J
RJ
Giebelen
Ida A
IA
Florquin
Sandrine
S
van den Pangaart
Petra S
PS
Bonten
Marc J
MJ
van der Poll
Tom
T
D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000601:surgery*; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000276:immunology*; D016984:Enterococcus faecium; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000276:immunology*; D008026:Ligation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011677:Punctures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology*
C491766:Ccl2 protein, rat; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D007378:Interleukins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma