This is an infection that generally will cause a person to be hospitalized. In my dissertation, I describe a process that I believe is a lowgrade microbial translocation which over time causes IC. "In healthy individuals, bacteria are continually crossing the intestinal mucosa and are then transported in lymph to extra intestinal sites, including the mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, kidney, spleen and bloodstream. This phemomenon is known as bacterail translocation and occurs at a very low rate and incolces very small numbers of microbes in healthy individuals-most of the organisms being killed by the niral host defense mechanisms."  " A number of factors are known to increase the rate of translocation, including physical or chemical damage to the intestinal epithelium, thereby increasing its permeability..... the organisms most often associated with systemic infections in such patients .......e.coli, K. pneumoniae, enterobacter spp., and proteus mirabilis, enterococcus spp, streptococcus spp and candida albicans..." (Microbial Inhabitants of Humans).

"Contaminated small bowel syndrome.......one of the main symptoms associated with this disorder is b12 deficiency.......the vitamin is also needed by many bacterial species, and large numbers of bacteria will rapidly reduce its concentration, thus depriving the host of this important dietary constituent." The third part of the small intestine is where the majority of the lymphatic cells are and why the small intestine houses 70% of the body's immune system. It is through this area, refered to as the Peyers Patches that the majority of this migration occurs.

Dr.M