The white pulp in the setting of the septic spleen caused by different bacteria: a comparative morphometric study

In the past little attention has been paid to histomorphologic changes accompanying the phenomenon of the septic spleen, thus indirectly reinforcing the old axiom that the spleen is an organ of mystery. It is especially noteworthy that the relationship between different causative bacteria and histop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica et immunologica Scandinavica microbiologica et immunologica Scandinavica, 2005-10, Vol.113 (10), p.675-682
Main Authors: GUNIA, SVEN, ALBRECHT, KNUT, MAY, MATTHIAS, STOSIEK, PETER
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Autopsy
B-Lymphocytes - pathology
Bacteremia - microbiology
Bacteremia - pathology
bacterial virulence factors
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
enterococci
Enterococcus faecalis
Female
Flagella
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germinal Center - pathology
Gram-Negative Bacteria - cytology
Humans
Hyperplasia - pathology
Image Cytometry
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Microbiology
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
morphometric analysis
Septic spleen
Spleen - pathology
splenic cell traffic
Streptococcus type D
T-Lymphocytes - pathology
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Summary:In the past little attention has been paid to histomorphologic changes accompanying the phenomenon of the septic spleen, thus indirectly reinforcing the old axiom that the spleen is an organ of mystery. It is especially noteworthy that the relationship between different causative bacteria and histopathologic abnormalities of the white pulp has not been investigated. In this study morphometric analysis was performed on the white pulp of 30 spleens obtained at autopsy from individuals with premortal sepsis. A strictly defined age‐ and sex‐matched control group was analyzed for statistical comparison. Our findings demonstrate a significant depletion of B‐ and T‐areas in the septic spleen, accompanied by a significant tendency towards reactive germinal center hyperplasia regardless of the type of bacteria responsible. However, depletion of splenic B‐areas was shown to be significantly pronounced in the setting of premortal enterococcemia in comparison with a panel of gram‐negative flagellated bacteria. It is felt that certain bacterial virulence factors (e.g. flagellation and/or structural components of the cell wall) might be pathogenetically involved in the observed changes, reflecting a partially different activation of splenic lymphocytes in the setting of the septic spleen.
ISSN:0903-4641
1600-0463
DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0463.2005.apm_262.x