Skip to main content
Log in

Biliary obstruction and susceptibility to biliary sepsis in rats

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Research in Experimental Medicine

Summary

The effect of retrograde intrabiliary (RI) injection ofE. coli was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats with biliary obstruction of different duration (3 days; 2, 4, and 6 weeks). By the injection of 105 colony-forming units (CFU) immediately after occlusion of the common bile duct (CBD), 15 of 18 normal rats survived without clinical signs of infection. In contrast, six of 11 animals in 3-day obstruction (P = 0.04), seven of 12 in 2-week obstruction (P = 0.02), ten of 12 in both 4-week and 6-week obstruction (P = 0.0004) died ofE. coli sepsis after injection of the same amount of bacteria. Animals with longstanding jaundice (4 and 6 weeks) were more susceptible than those with a shorter duration of jaundice (3 days and 2 weeks,P = 0.04). The results warrant the early decompression of the biliary tract in biliary obstruction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alwmark A, Bengmark S, Gullstrand P, Schalen C (1981) Improvement of the splenectomized rat model for overwhelming pneumoccocal infection. Eur Surg Res 13:339–343

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Aronsen KF (1961) Liver function studies during and after complete extrahepatic biliary obstruction in the dog. Acta Chir Scand [Suppl] 275:1–114

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cameron GR, Hasan M (1958) Disturbances of structure and function in the liver as the result of biliary obstruction. J Pathol Bacteriol 75:333–349

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cameron GR, Oakely CL (1932) Ligation of the common bile duct. J Pathol Bacteriol 35:769–798

    Google Scholar 

  5. Charcot MM, Gombault (1876) Note sur les altérations du foie consécutives a la ligature du canal choléoque. Arch Phys Norm Pathol 8:272–299

    Google Scholar 

  6. Chou ST, Gibson JB (1968) Experimental cholangitis and cholelithiasis. Br J Exp Pathol 49:565–573

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. De Vos R, Desmet VJ (1978) Morphologic changes of the junctional complex of the hepatocytes in rat liver after bile duct ligation. Br J Exp Pathol 59:220–227

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Drivas G, James O, Wardle N (1976) Study of reticuloendothelial phagocytic capacity in patients with cholestasis. Br Med J 1:1568–1569

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Flemma RJ, Flint LM, Osterhout S, Shingleton WW (1967) Bacteriologic studies of biliary tract infection. Ann Surg 166:563–572

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Freedman LR (1963) The effect of common bile duct obstruction on susceptibility of the liver to bacterial infection. Yale J Biol Med 35:301–317

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Freedman LR (1963) The relationship between bacterial infection of the hepato-biliary system and common bile duct obstruction in man. Yale J Biol Med 35:318–327

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Halpern BN, Biozzi G, Nicol T, Bilbey DLJ (1957) Effect of experimental biliary obstruction on the phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system. Nature 180:503–504

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hampton JC (1961) Electron-microscopic study of extrahepatic biliary obstruction in the mouse. Lab Invest 10:502–513

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Holman JM, Rikkers LF (1982) Biliary obstruction and host defense failure. J Surg Res 32:208–213

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Jackaman FR, Hilson GRF, Lord Smith of Marlow (1980) Bile bacteria in patients with benign bile duct stricture. Br J Surg 67:329–332

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Katz S, Grosfeld JL, Gross K, Plager DA, Ross D, Rosenthal RS, Hull M, Weber TR (1984) Impaired bacterial clearance and trapping in obstructive jaundice. Ann Surg 199:14–20

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Klebanoff SJ (1967) Iodination of bacteria: a bactericidal mechanism. J Exp Med 126:1063–1079

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Lázár G (1972) Influence of splenectomy, partial hepatectomy and bile duct ligation on the granulopectic activity of the reticuloendothelial system. Acta Physiol Acad Sci Hung 42:287–291

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Metz J, Aoki A, Merlo M, Forssmann WG (1977) Morphological alterations and functional changes of interhepatocellular junctions induced by bile duct ligation. Cell Tissue Res 182:299–310

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Ronai PM, Magarey FR (1960) Experimental cholangitis following biliary obstruction. Australas Ann Med 9:289–294

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Root RK, Cohen MS (1981) The microbicidal mechanisms of human neutrophils and eosinophils. Rev Infect Dis 3:565–598

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Schaffner F, Popper H (1959) Morphologic studies of cholestasis. Gastroenterology 37:565–572

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Scott AJ, Khan GA (1967) Origin of bacteria in bile duct bile. Lancet 2:790–792

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Trams EG, Symeonidis A (1957) Morphologic and functional changes in the livers of rats after ligation or excision of the common bile duct. Am J Pathol 33:13–27

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tanaka, N., Christensen, P., Rydén, S. et al. Biliary obstruction and susceptibility to biliary sepsis in rats. Res. Exp. Med. 185, 115–119 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01854896

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01854896

Key words

Navigation