DIETARY FISH-OIL SUPPLEMENTATION INCREASES SURVIVAL IN MICE FOLLOWINGKLEBSIELLA-PNEUMONIAE INFECTION

The effect of dietary fish-oil supplementation on survival of NMRI mic e after Klebsiella pneumoniae infection was investigated, 30 mice in e ach group were fed a fish-oil enriched diet, olive-oil enriched diet o r standard chow diet. After 6 weeks, the mice were injected intramuscu larly with Klebsiella pneumoniae. After 120 h the survival of the mice fed fish-oil enriched diet was 40%, while the survival for mice fed s tandard or olive-oil enriched diets was 20% and 25%, respectively. The survival curve over 120 h was significantly improved (p = 0.0034) for mice fed a fish-oil enriched diet, compared to the survival curves fo r mice fed the other 2 diets, The study was repeated by comparing the survival of mice fed a fish-oil enriched diet to those given a corn-oi l enriched diet, After 120 h the survival curve for mice fed the fish- oil enriched diet was significantly better compared to the survival cu rve for mice given the corn-oil enriched diet (p = 0.01). A fish-oil e nriched diet therefore increases survival in mice following Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, whether compared to a standard diet, olive-oil enriched diet or corn-oil enriched diet.