Bacterial translocation in burn injury

ABSTRACT

This experimental study was carried on 20 guinea pigs with burn injury involving 40% of their body surface areas. Animals were classified into four groups, five animals in each Group [I] with thermal injury perse, Group [II] Burn wound was immediately contaminated with pathogenic staphylococci and Pseudomonas pyocyaneus, Group [III] intestinal decontamination was achieved by giving oral combination of penicillin, Streptomycin and Metronidazol and Group [IV] Intestinal decontamination was achieved and then animals were orally contaminated with E. coli of known serotype [078 K 80 B-] obtained from a case of haemorrhagic gastroenteritis in Mansoura University Hospital. In all groups animals were killed 48 hours after induction of burn injury. The study showed that bacterial translocation occurred maximammly [100%] in group [IV], which were orally contaminated with E. coli. The same species of E. coli was harvested from the mesentric lymph nodes. In group [III] in which the intestine was decontaminate, only 20% showed bacterial translocation and at the same time the histopathological changes were minimal where there was no mucosal erosion or disintegration of lamina propria