The haematopoietic response to burning: studies in a splenectomized animal model

Several haematopoietic changes occur following burning. These changes are important because they may effect a patient's ability to fight infection and to heal wounds. Studies of haematopoiesis in burned humans are difficult because of the complexity of these patients and because of the difficulty of collecting specimens. We therefore established a mouse model of these haematopoietic events; however, this model differed from the human situation as all three haematopoietic cell lines were being produced by the murine spleen. In this paper, we modified the model by removing the spleen and then repeating our previous studies. After splenectomy, granulocyte production, murine mortality and body weight did not change. Compared with the original model, the modified splenectomy model could not expand erythropoiesis. The result was greater anaemia. This model is, now, a closer simulation of the human situation and will prove useful in studies of haematopoiesis after thermal injury.