BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION, INTESTINAL MICROFLORA AND MORPHOLOGICAL-CHANGES OF INTESTINAL-MUCOSA IN EXPERIMENTAL-MODELS OF CLOSTRIDIUM-DIFFICILE INFECTION

Bacteraemia and subsequent sepsis is one possible complication of Clos tridium difficile infection. The aim of this study was to examine a co rrelation between bacterial translocation with morphological changes o f intestinal mucosa and shifts of intestinal microflora in experimenta l models of C. difficile infection. A mouse model was used to study po st-antibiotic shifts and mild C, difficile infection, and hamsters wer e used to study fatal enterocolitis. The influence of pro- and pre-bio tics (lactobacilli and xylitol) were also studied in the hamster model , The quantitative composition of luminal and mucosal microflora was e valuated in different intestinal loci, inflammatory changes of mucosa were estimated in histological sections and bacterial translocation wa s detected in samples from blood, liver, spleen and mesenteric lymph n odes. In cases of mild C, difficile infection, the extent of disturban ce of intestinal microflora appeared to be a more important promoting factor in translocation than inflammatory activity in the mucosa, Tran slocation was frequent in fatal enterocolitis, with facultative specie s predominating in the intestinal mucosa and also C, difficile in some cases. The combination of lactobacilli and xylitol had some protectiv e effect against C, difficile infection in these models.