Bacterial Invasion of the Liver During the Course of Heatstroke in the Dog Heatstroke Model

The question of specticemia and endotoxemia as an etiologic or complicating factor of heatstroke has been alluded to in clinical settings but not explored under experimental conditions. To this end, using an anesthetized dog heatstroke model, liver tissue sections were taken under aseptic conditions for microbial culture at the death or sacrifice of the heatstroked animal. Seventy-eight percent contained species of clostridium, lactobacillus, alpha streptococcus, staphylococcus, or E. coli. Microbial cultures of liver tissue from conditioned unheated dogs demonstrated of 50% incidence of microbial growth, all of which were clostridium. The remaining liver tissues of both heated and unheated animals, and samples of portal, hepatic, vena caval, and jugular blood taken from a series of animals at intervals during the heating and subsequent monitoring periods did not demonstrate microbial growth. (Author).