Intestinal Strangulation in Escherichia coli-Monocontaminated Gnotobiotic Rats.

The natural course of ischemic and hemorrhagic intestinal strangulation in previously germ-free rats individually monocontaminated with one of five separate strains of Escherichia coli was investigated. In addition, the effect of intraintestinal homologous heparinized blood upon the course of ischemic intestinal strangulation in E. coli-monocontaminated rats was studied. It was found that (i) E. coli could be an important lethal factor in ischemic and hemorrhagic intestinal strangulation, (ii) hemorrhagic was more deadly than ischemic strangulation, (iii) intra-intestinal blood did not augment the action of the E. coli in these experiments, and (iv) some strains of E. coli were more toxic than others in the presence of intestinal strangulation.