[Quantitative study of capillary and venous bacterial diffusion in experimental bacteremia in chickens]

Capillary and venous diffusion of bacteria were studied in chickens after intravenous inoculation with Escherichia coli K12. A first group of 35 chickens was inoculated with 10(7) and a second group of 49 chickens with 10(8) E. coli. Bacterial enumeration showed two types of bacterial blood distributions. Early after inoculation, the level of bacteraemia was higher in venous than in capillary blood; later, the level of bacteraemia was higher in capillary than in venous blood. The difference was significant for the two kinds of inoculum. These results showed a slower clearance of E. coli in capillary than in venous blood. These experimental data confirm the greater sensibility of capillary than of venous sampling, already observed in neonates.