Intestinal Pathogens Are Altered By Injury To Express A Proinflammatory And Lethal Phenotype When They Cause Subsequent Peritonitis

Abstract

Introduction: Despite aggressive therapeutic interventions, severe intra-abdominal infection remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality following elective surgery. The aim of this study is to present a novel animal model of intra-abdominal infection that addresses how surgical injury itself shifts common hospital associated pathogens to express a more virulent phenotype both from within the intestinal and peritoneal compartments leading to sepsis and death. Methods: 7 week male C57BL6 mice were anesthetized and randomly assigned to undergo either sham laparotomy or 30% hepatectomy with simultaneous intra-intestinal inoculation of 107 CFU of Pseudomonas aeruginosa directly into the cecum.