BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION IN THIOACETAMIDE-INDUCED LIVER-CIRRHOSIS IN RATS

Cirrhotic liver is predisposed to bacterial infections.-Different spec ies of bacteria including Escherichia coli, Enterobacter and Bacteroid es fragilis were found to colonize thioacetamide-induced cirrhotic rat Liver. Zinc treatment of the cirrhotic rats significantly corrected t he histological and histochemical changes in the liver. However, this reversal with zinc treatment was not accompanied by any change in the bacterial colonies in the liver. The study shows that cirrhosis predis poses liver to bacterial colonization and the process is not reversibl e despite the partial reversal of the cirrhotic changes.