Role of p38 MAPK in trauma/hemorrhage and subsequent pneumococcal pneumonia

Poly-traumatized patients surviving the initial insult are highly susceptible to secondary pneumonia, frequently progressing into sepsis and multi-organ failure. However, the underlying mechanism of post-traumatic immune suppression is poorly understood. We here investigated the role of MAPK signalling for the development of impaired lung protective immunity in a two-hit model of trauma/hemorrhage (T/H) and subsequent pneumonia. Trauma was induced by midline laparotomy, followed by cannulation of femoral arteries and veins to induce hemorrhage in mice. Subsequently, mice were infected with S. pneumoniae. In the…