[Route of infection of the biliary tract: experimental evidence for an enterohepaticobiliary bacterial cycle (author's transl)].

Suspensions of Escherichia coli bacteria were injected into the colon of ten mongrel dogs. Primarily, the cystic duct and the distal choledochal duct had been ligated. Choledochal bile was continuously collected with a ductal catheter. The bacteria could be cultured from the portal vein blood, the liver, and the gallbladder wall 5 h after injection, but not from choledochal or gallbladder bile. Suspensions of tritiated Escherichia coli bacteria were injected into the portal vein of another 20 mongrel dogs. Now the bacteria could be cultured from the liver, the gallbladder wall, the choledochal and the gallbladder bile 10 min after injection. Elevated radioactivity counts could be found in the tissue and bile samples. In the liver and gallbladder wall, the tritiated bacteria could be seen in phagocytes and capillary ducts by autoradiography. We conclude that there is an enterohepaticobiliary bacterial cycle which could explain the pathogenesis of infections in biliary tract diseases.