EFFECTS OF GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR ON BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION DUE TO BURN WOUND SEPSIS

The presence of certain defects in both cellular and humoral immunity after thermal injury has been established, Likewise, the translocation of enteric bacteria to the mesenteric lymph nodes and to distant orga ns has also been observed following serious thermal injury, The effect s of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on bacterial transl ocation, the small bowel mucose, and cecal bacterial content mere inve stigated in a rat model of burn wound sepsis in which albino Wistar ra ts were scalded over 30% of their bodies, after which the lesions were infected by 1 x 10(8) colony-forming units (cfu) Pseudonmonas aerugin osa. The control group was treated with 5% dextrose solution subcutane ously starting 2 days preburn, while the treatment group received 100 mu g/kg human G-CSF subcutaneously. On the 4th day post burn all anima ls were killed to examine the bowel and culture of the mesenteric lymp h nodes (MLN), livers, and spleens, No significant differences were ob served between the groups regarding the cecal bacterial content and sm all bowel; however, a difference was seen in the ratio of translocatio n in the MLN liver and spleen and quantitative MLN cultures, Based on these findings, G-CSF was thus found to be significantly effective in reducing bacterial translocation due to burn wound sepsis.