Experimental bacterial endocarditis. II. Survival of a bacteria in endocardial vegetations.

Abstract

A method has been developed for assessing metabolic activity of bacteria in the vegetations of bacterial endocarditis using a labelled metabolite and autoradiography. Evidence provided by this technique suggests that there are different degrees of activity between superficial and more deeply placed bacterial colonies, and that variations in activity also exist within a single group of organisms. The possible relevance of these findings to the antibiotic therapy of endocarditis is discussed.