BULKING FIBER PREVENTS TRANSLOCATION TO MESENTERIC LYMPH-NODES OF AN EFFICIENTLY TRANSLOCATING ESCHERICHIA-COLI STRAIN IN RATS

Background: starvation for 24 h prior to experimental haemorrhage incr eases bacterial translocation in rats. Forty-eight hours starvation al one causes pronounced microbiological changes in caecal contents and a marked increase in bacterial adherence to caecal epithelium. The aim of the present study was to examine whether bulking fibre prevents the se microbiological changes induced by starvation, i.e. mucosal adheren ce and/or bacterial translocation with and without haemorrhage in rats . Methods: 32 rats were inoculated with the translocating Escherichia coil strain KI-C1. Groups of these rats were then starved for 48 h wit h or without access to bulking fibre. An additional group of rats was given bulking fibre and subjected to haemorrhage. A control group was untreated and given regular food. Samples were taken from caecal conte nts, caecal epithelium, mesenteric lymph nodes and blood. A biochemica l fingerprinting method was used to characterize and compare E. coli s trains in all samples. Results: ingestion of bulking fibre alone for 4 8 h significantly reduced the frequency of KI-C1 both in caecal conten ts and on caecal epithelium and completely prevented translocation of the strain, compared to starvation without bulking fibre for 48 h. Enf orced stress (haemorrhage) increased bacterial translocation to the sa me level as starvation for 48 h. E. coil phenotypes found in mesenteri c lymph nodes were also found adhering to the caecal epithelium. Concl usions: the presence of bulking fibre in gut lumen, by unknown mechani sms, reduces the frequency of an inoculated translocating strain of E. coli in caecal contents and on caecal epithelium and prevents its tra nslocation to mesenteric lymph nodes.