Abstract
Abstract
The major goal of this study was to determine whether injection of heat-killed bacteria alters urinary excretion of Zn and Fe. Pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs were prepared for standard renal clearance experiments; following a 1-hr control period, the animals received either heat-killed Pasteurella multocida or vehicle. Rectal temperature in bacteria-treated animals increased significantly by 2 hr following bacterial injection. Excretion rates of Zn and Fe were also significantly elevated by this time; by the end of 4 hr they had approximately doubled. The changes in Zn and Fe excretion correlated significantly with changes in rectal temperature. K excretion and urine flow over the 4 hr tended to increase, but the rises were not statistically significant. Plasma concentrations of Zn, Fe, and K did not change, nor did GFR. We conclude that, in the anesthetized dog, injection of heat-killed bacteria can acutely increase urinary trace-element excretion. However, the maximal contribution of the increased urinary losses to a reduction in plasma zinc and iron was calculated to be only a few percentages.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.