Microbial translocation following burn injury

Microbial translocation is defined as the passage of both viable and nonviable microbes and microbial products across the intact intestinal barrier [1]. Most of the time, translocation has been measured by simply culturing microorganisms from different tissues or fluids. Using this technique, the amount of viable organisms in the tissues that results in translocation is determined by three factors: 1) the number and types of microbes in the intestinal lumen, i.e., the greater the number of bacteria in the lumen the greater will be the degree of translocation; 2) the rate of passage across the mucosal barrier (the translocation process itself), and 3) the clearance of the bacteria by host defense mechanisms from the tissues.