Overgrowth and translocation of Escherichia coli from intestine during prolonged enteral feeding in rats

Our objective was to examine changes in bacterial flora in the gastrointestinal tract that might lead to their translocation during the prolonged enteral administration of an elemental liquid diet. Eleven rats (experimental group) received a feeding gastrostomy and were administered an intragastric infusion of a liquid elemental diet for 17 days, while 9 rats (control group) received chow and water ad libitum for 17 clays. The animals were then killed and the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), liver, jejunum, ileum, and cecum were aseptically removed, homogenized, and cultured for isolation of bacteria. A statistically significant increase in the population of a single species of Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, was observed in the ileum and cecum of the experimental group fed the liquid diet as compared with the control group. Five of the MLNs from the 11 experimental rats (45%) were positive for E. coli, as compared with none from the 9 control rats, a statistically significant difference (P = 0.038). The E. coli isolated from the MLNs and the ileum of the experimental group exhibited the O168:H- serotype. Our results suggest that E. coli isolated from the MLNs of the experimental group had translocated from the intestine. The animal model described here may be useful in screening for drugs to reduce the problem of translocation of intestinal bacteria.