title: Probiotics improve survival of septic rats by suppressing conditioned pathogens in ascites.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the benefits of probiotics treatment in septic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The septic rats were induced by cecal ligation and puncture. The animals of control, septic model and probiotics treated groups were treated with vehicle and mixed probiotics, respectively. The mixture of probiotics included Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. We observed the survival of septic rats using different amounts of mixed probiotics. We also detected the bacterial population in ascites and blood of experimental sepsis using cultivation and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The severity of mucosal inflammation in colonic tissues was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Probiotics treatment improved survival of the rats significantly and this effect was dose dependent. The survival rate was 30% for vehicle-treated septic model group. However, 1 and 1/4 doses of probiotics treatment increased survival rate significantly compared with septic model group (80% and 55% vs 30%, P < 0.05). The total viable counts of bacteria in ascites decreased significantly in probiotics treated group compared with septic model group (5.20 ± 0.57 vs 9.81 ± 0.67, P < 0.05). The total positive rate of hemoculture decreased significantly in probiotics treated group compared with septic model group (33.3% vs 100.0%, P < 0.05). The population of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in ascites of probiotics treated group were decreased significantly compared with that of septic model group (3.93 ± 0.73 vs 8.80 ± 0.83, P < 0.05; 2.80 ± 1.04 vs 5.39 ± 1.21, P < 0.05). With probiotics treatment, there was a decrease in the scores of inflammatory cell infiltration into the intestinal mucosa in septic animals (1.50 ± 0.25 vs 2.88 ± 0.14, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus may be primary pathogens in septic rats. Probiotics improve survival of septic rats by suppressing these conditioned pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Acute Abdominal Diseases, Tianjin Nankai Hospital, Tianjin 300100, China.
authors.forename: Da-Quan
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qiao-Ying
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Hong-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dong-Hua
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shang-Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001201:Ascites / Q000382:microbiology*; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007249:Inflammation / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018805:Sepsis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Escherichia coli; Pathogens; Probiotics; Sepsis; Staphylococcus aureus