Nosocomial and Community-Acquired Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis: Comparative Microbiology and Therapeutic Implications

In order to compare the microbiological characteristics of nosocomial and community-acquired episodes of bacterial peritonitis, 95 consecutive, spontaneous episodes were reviewed. Seventy of these episodes were bacteriologically documented. Fifty-three (55.8%) episodes were nosocomial and 42 (44.2%) were community acquired. A total of 78 pathogens were isolated, including 40 gram-positive cocci (34 streptococci, 6 Staphylococcus aureus), 35 gram-negative bacilli (including 23 Escherichia coli), 2 gram-positive bacilli and 1 yeast. Streptococci were found more frequently in community-acquired episodes (53.8%) than in nosocomial episodes (33.3%). Gram-negative bacilli were significantly more frequent in nosocomial episodes than in community-acquired episodes (56.4% vs. 33.3%, P<0.05). Nosocomial isolates were significantly more resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (48.7% vs. 18.4%, P<0.01) and cefotaxime (33.3% vs. 13.2%, P<0.05) than community-acquired isolates, but no difference was detected regarding resistance to ciprofloxacin. The results indicate that the empirical treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis should differ for nosocomial and community-acquired cases.