Demonstration in vitro of postmortem bacterial transmigration.

The kinetics of the migration of intestinal bacterial flora to the peritoneal cavity upon death of the host was studied. A laboratory experiment that excluded any source of contamination was used. Samples of sterile saline solution in which a loop of the intestine was submerged were streaked onto blood agar at given intervals. Recovery of bacteria began after about 15 hours, with Staphylococcus aureus being the predominant organism. This organism showed a gradual decrease through a 36-hour period and at 48 hours was almost absent. In the same manner, other organisms such as gram-negative bacilli and spore-forming gram-positive bacilli gradually increased in numbers.