Physiopathologic responses of the rhesus monkey to live Escherichia coli

The present study was designed to develop an animal model applicable to the clinical patient in the investigation of the pathogenesis of septic shock. The model currently described is a lightly anesthetized, unrestrained monkey, carefully monitored during a 24 hour observation period. Varying doses of live Excherichia coli organisms were infused intravenously during a 30 minute period, and a variety of hemodynamic, respiratory and metabolic parameters were monitored. Doses of organisms varied between 7.6X10(9) and 3.0X10(11) organisms per kilogram of body weight, and there was no obvious correlation between size of dose and survival time. Two of nine experimental monkeys survived the Excherichia coli, while times of death of the remaining monkeys varied between three and 27 hours. Two control monkeys, not administered organisms, survived the 24 hour period with minimal changes in all measured parameters. Results reveal two patterns in response to organism administration. These were early acute death, after three to four hours, and prolonged life, death after 20 to 27 hours. The acute response was characterized by marked systemic hypotension, hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, increased lactate level, decreased pH or respiratory depression. The other type of response involved profound sustained hypotension with hypoglycemia and hypoinsulinemia in most monkeys and elevations in lactate, blood urea nitrogen potassium creatinine, serum glutamicoxalacetic, lactic dehydrogenase and fractionatedlactic dehydrogenase levels. Depressions in respiration were not evident in the group which survived a longer period of time. Renal fibrin thrombi, prominent in baboons administered Escherichia coli, were absent in the rhesus monkey regardless of the size of the dose of organisms. The results of this study suggest the operation of a multifactiorial mechanism in septic shock with interactions between hemodynamic and metabolic factors varying within the species.