The Influence of Spleen Conservation in Sepsis Experimentally Induced by Escherichiae Coli

Abstract

Many microorganisms,and particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae,are capable of causing fatal septicemias in splenectomized patients. E. coli is a very common microorganism, although postsplenectomy infection due to this bacteria has not yet been demonstrated experimentally. The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of the completer or partial spleen on the appearance of sepsis induced by the intraperitoneal inoculation of E. coli. A total of 125 rats were divided into groups of 25 each as follows: (I) Simulated surgery; (ll) Total splenectomy; (III) Partial splenectomy (5%); (IV) Partial splenectomy (50%); (V) Partial splenectomy (75%). Ninety days after the operation, E. coli was inoculated intraperitoneally. Ten minutes later 1 ml blood was extracted, and the procedure repeated 120 minutes after inoculation. Integrity of the spleen may exert an influence on the presence of bacteriemia. However, once bacteria appear in circulating blood, their concentration is not affected by the amount of splenic tissue present.