Listeria peritonitis: a common presentation of an uncommon organism -

We report a case of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) caused by Listeria monocytogenes in a cirrhotic patient. The listeria was isolated from ascitic fluid. Although a third generation cephalosporin has usually been employed for empiric treatment of SBP, it does not provide adequate coverage against Listeria spp. In such cases, use of ampicillin (with or without sulbactam) or sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim is recommended. The sulfamethoxazoletrimethoprim is used for secondary prophylaxis, instead of norfloxacin. (Rawal Med J 2010;35: ).