Molecular Analysis of Microbial DNA in Infected Necrotizing Pancreatitis

Necrotizing pancreatitis is a severe form of inflammation of the pancreas with subsequent destruction of the pancreas (necrosis). Often, this condition manifests in patients as an overwhelming systemic inflammatory response and multisystem organ failure. Many times the pancreas can become superinfected with bacteria and other organisms as a result of this process. Clinicians may decide to sample fluid from the pancreas or pancreatic tissue to determine the presence of infection. This can be done through surgery with a concurrent debridement and drainage of the pancreas or by a radiologist using an ultrasound or CT guided method to sample the pancreatic fluid. These samples are then sent for culture in the microbiology laboratory. Culture results often reveal 1-2 types of infecting bacteria that originate from the gastrointestinal tract. The investigators hypothesize that in actuality, many different kinds of bacteria may infect the pancreas. This project uses molecular DNA techniques to help identify bacteria present in the pancreas of patients with severe necrotizing pancreatitis.