PMN activity and endotoxin kinetics in peritonitis induced after moderate trauma

The effect of moderate trauma on bacterial and endotoxin kinetics during post-traumatic Escherichia coli peritonitis was studied in a controlled animal model. Peritonitis was induced in 14 piglets by intra-abdominal infusion of 2.5 x 10(9) cfu live E. coli (rough:K5:H6). The animals were studied in pairs. One of each pair was exposed to trauma consisting of forceful femoral marrow nailings 48 hours before induction of peritonitis and the other was a non-traumatized peritonitic control. The abdominal bacterial counts fell rapidly in all animals after a one-hour delay during which there was rapid spread of bacteria to the blood. After 4 hours blood cultures were regularly sterile. Circulating endotoxin showed slow but steady increase in the controls, but in the traumatized animals levels rose rapidly, in association with insignificantly higher levels of polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemiluminescence. The study indicated that trauma induces changes in endotoxin kinetics and polymorphonuclear leukocyte function during post-traumatic peritonitis.