title: Local Application of Probiotic Bacteria Prophylaxes against Sepsis and Death Resulting from Burn Wound Infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if local prophylactic application of probiotic bacteria to burn wounds will prevent death in a mouse model of burn wound sepsis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Infection remains the most common complication after burn injury and can result in sepsis and death, despite the use of topical and systemic antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a frequently implicated pathogen. Local application of probiotics directly to burn wounds is an attractive novel intervention that avoids the pitfalls of standard antibiotic therapies.
  
  
  METHODS
  A burn-sepsis model was established using a sub-eschar injection of bioluminescent P. aeruginosa; infection was tracked using a charge-coupled camera. Full-thickness burn injuries were placed on the dorsums of adult mice; the injured sites were then treated with vehicle (burn wound control), probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum only), pathogenic bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa only), or probiotics plus pathogen (Lactobacillus plus Pseudomonas). Animals were monitored until death/moribundity or for one week, then sacrificed. Harvested tissues were subjected to imaging and molecular assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Control and probiotic-only animals showed no mortality (100% survival) at one week. Pseudomonas-only animals showed > 90% mortality within 40 hours of infection. In contrast, animals treated with probiotics plus Pseudomonas showed less than 10% mortality. Use of bioluminescent Pseudomonas bacteria demonstrated that probiotic therapy inhibited septicemic accumulation of the pathogen in remote organs. In addition, probiotic therapy successfully suppressed the infection-dependent induction of TNF-α and interleukins 6 and 10 in the liver.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Local probiotic therapy shows great potential as a valuable adjunct in the management of complicated burn injury.
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Argenta
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.|McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.
authors: Latha
authors: L
authors: Satish
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.
authors: Phillip
authors: P
authors: Gallo
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.
authors: Fang
authors: F
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.|McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.
authors: Sandeep
authors: S
authors: Kathju
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012313:RNA / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000378:metabolism; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D012313:RNA