A new highly sensitive point of care screen for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis using the leukocyte esterase method

Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

BACKGROUND

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a serious complication of cirrhosis and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Rapid institution of appropriate antibiotics is central to the improved patient outcome. Correctly obtaining ascites fluid for analysis has several technical and logistic limitations resulting in overuse of empiric antibiotics when patients are admitted to the hospital with suspected SBP. Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein (CRP) are non-invasive markers of infection. We conducted a study to illustrate the role of these markers in making the diagnosis of SBP in patients with cirrhosis.

METHODS

A total of 45 patients were enrolled in this prospective cohort study, 14 (31.1%) of which were found to have SBP. Ascitic fluid neutrophils, serum procalcitonin and CRP levels were measured prior to initiation of antibiotics and these parameters were compared between the two groups. Area under receiver operator characteristic (AUROC) curves were used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin and CRP in this population. We defined neutrocytic SBP group as a combination of patients who had classic SBP (positive ascitic culture and >250 neutrophils/mm3) and culture-negative neutrocytic ascites.

RESULTS

Serum procalcitonin (2.81±2.59 vs. 0.43±0.48 ng/mL; P=0.0032), serum CRP (60.30±44.48 vs. 22.2±23.28; P=0.0055) and ascitic fluid neutrophil levels (49.23±30.90 vs. 16.7±20.39; P=0.0064) were significantly higher in SBP group than non-SBP group. AUROC for procalcitonin (cut-off >2.0 ng/mL) was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.61-0.88), CRP (cut-off >3.0 mg/L) was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.43-0.68) and for procalcitonin combined with CRP was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.61-0.90) for diagnosing all-cause SBP. In a subgroup analysis of patients with neutrocytic SBP, AUROC for procalcitonin was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.74-1.00), CRP was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.45-0.79) and for procalcitonin combined with CRP was 0.93 (95% CI, 0.81-1.00). Addition of CRP to procalcitonin did not significantly change the AUROC for diagnosis of SBP.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum procalcitonin could be used as an adjunctive non-invasive biomarker in diagnosing SBP with a high degree of accuracy in cirrhotic patients. Addition of CRP does not seem to significantly increase the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin.

Fecal Leukocyte Esterase, an Alternative Biomarker to Fecal Calprotectin in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Pilot Series

Background and Aims

Fecal calprotectin (FC) is a noninvasive biomarker used in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management and risk stratification of nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms. Leukocyte esterase is an inexpensive and widely available point-of-care inflammatory marker present on urinalysis test strips. We aim to assess the diagnostic accuracy of fecal leukocyte esterase (FLE) relative to FC and endoscopy and demonstrate its use as an alternative biomarker for IBD.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, 70 patients who had FC ordered as part of standard clinical care also received FLE testing. FLE levels were compared with various FC cutoff values and endoscopy and pathology findings as the gold standard.

Results

As the FC cutoff increased from 50 to 500 μg/g, FLE sensitivity increased from 67% to 95% while the specificity decreased from 86% to 76%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve increased from 0.79 to 0.90. An FLE of ≥1+ had the best test characteristics. Among patients who underwent endoscopic evaluation, FLE demonstrated an identical sensitivity (75%) and specificity (86%) to FC in predicting endoscopic inflammation. AUROC was 0.80 for FLE and 0.85 for FC with an optimal cutoff of ≥2+ and 301 μg/g, respectively. When used to distinguish between patients with active IBD and no/inactive IBD, FLE had a sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 90%, comparable with the 84% and 83%, respectively, of FC. AUROC was 0.88 for FLE and 0.91 for FC with an optimal cutoff of ≥2+ and 145 μg/g, respectively.

Conclusion

FLE demonstrates adequate correlation and comparable accuracy with FC in predicting endoscopic inflammation and distinguishing between patients with active vs inactive IBD.

The periscreen strip is an accurate and rapid method to diagnose spontaneous bacterial peritonitis among patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure

BACKGROUND

Leukocyte esterase reagent strips may help diagnose spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), but their effective application among patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) remains unknown.

AIM

This study aimed to assess the performance of periscreen strips in the rapid diagnosis of SBP among patients with ACLF.

METHODS

Periscreen strips were used to test 261 ascites samples taken from 251 inpatients with ACLF between January 2014 and June 2019. The colors of the reagent strip were divided into four colorimetric graduations ('negative', 'trace', 'small', and 'large'), among which 'trace' is used as the SBP detection threshold. The polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) of ascites ≥250/mm3 was used as the gold standard for SBP diagnosis.

RESULTS

SBP was detected in 92 (35.2%) ascite samples. The ascites PMN count of 'negative' (32.5/mm3) was lower than those of 'trace' (248.2/mm3), 'small' (379.0/mm3), and 'large' (7426.0/mm3) (P < 0.001). The colorimetric graduations of the strips were positively correlated with ascites PMN count (r = 0.867, P < 0.001). Periscreen strips had 100% sensitivity, 91.1% specificity, 86.0% positive predictive value, 100% negative predictive value, 11.3 positive likelihood ratios, and 0 negative likelihood ratios. For patients with negative results judged by the gold standard, ascites white blood cells count [odds ratio (OR) = 1.007) and ascites PMN count (OR = 1.028) were independent predictors of false-positive cases.

CONCLUSION

Liver failure did not affect the diagnostic performance of periscreen strips. Therefore, these strips can efficiently and rapidly diagnose SBP among patients with ACLF.

The diagnostic accuracy of ascitic calprotectin for the early diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: systematic review and meta-analysis

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a common complication in patients with cirrhosis and has an incidence of up to 30% in hospitalized patients. Importantly, it may raise their mortality rate up to 30%. Hence, a delayed diagnosis is associated with poor prognosis. This systematic review aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ascitic fluid calprotectin for the early diagnosis of SBP in patients with ascites. This study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. A systematic literature search was conducted from inception to February 2020 in the following electronic bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, Scopus, The Cochrane Library and OpenGrey. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool was used to assess risk of bias. Ten studies were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. Hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted and the summary sensitivity of a positive ascitic fluid calprotectin assessment to detect SBP was 93% [95% confidence interval (CI) 90-95%] while the summary specificity was 89% (95% CI 80-95%), irrespectively of the method used. The positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio of the test were 8.7 (95% CI 4.4-17.1) and 0.08 (85% CI 0.06-0.12). All studies showed positive correlation between ascitic calprotectin and polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte count. Ascitic calprotectin appears to be an excellent alternative to PMN leucocyte count of ≥250 cells/mm3 for the diagnosis of SBP with much faster time to diagnosis. Owing to its substantially high negative predictive value, the test can accurately exclude SBP avoiding unnecessary antibiotics in suspected patients.

Application of leukocyte esterase strip test in the screening of periprosthetic joint infections and prospects of high-precision strips

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) represents one of the most challenging complications after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Despite the availability of a variety of diagnostic techniques, the diagnosis of PJI remains a challenge due to the lack of well-established diagnostic criteria. The leucocyte esterase (LE) strips test has been proved to be a valuable diagnostic tool for PJI, and its weight in PJI diagnostic criteria has gradually increased. Characterized by its convenience, speed and immediacy, leucocyte esterase strips test has a prospect of broad application in PJI diagnosis. Admittedly, the leucocyte esterase strips test has some limitations, such as imprecision and liability to interference. Thanks to the application of new technologies, such as machine reading, quantitative detection and artificial intelligence, the LE strips test is expected to overcome the limitations and improve its accuracy.

Diagnostic and prognostic role of ascitic fluid calprotectin level: six-month outcome findings in cirrhotic patients

AIM

To assess the role of ascites calprotectin in early detection of SBP in patients with cirrhosis and to investigate its prognostic value in determination of the 6-month outcome. Methods and material: In this cross-sectional study, patients with liver cirrhosis who were consecutively referred to Imam Reza hospital, tertiary referral center in the northwest of Iran, underwent abdominal paracentesis. The samples were collected for measurement of calprotectin, albumin, total protein, WBCs, and PMNs.

RESULTS

The mean age of a total of 87 included patients was 56.86 (SD 16.05) years old with over half of the subjects (55.2%) being female. About 28.7% of performed paracenteses tested positive for SBP. Ascitic calprotectin was positively correlated to the PMN counts. Patients with SBP were found to have higher levels of ascites albumin, total protein, and calprotectin. Only 51 individuals survived the 6-month follow-up period and mortality outcomes were significantly related to the levels of aforementioned biochemical markers (p-value <.05).

CONCLUSION

Alongside with standard PMN counts, calprotectin measurement in the ascitic fluid could be used as an available test for early diagnosis of SBP. Calprotectin can also serve as a valuable prognostic marker in the evaluation of cirrhotic patients.

Role of ascitic endocan levels in the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in decompensated cirrhosis

Objective: To assess the role of ascitic endocan levels in the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in decompensated cirrhosis.Methods: Ascites samples, as well as demographic and laboratory data, were collected at admission from patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Ascitic endocan, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were measured by ELISA. The influencing factors of SBP, the correlation of ascitic endocan with other inflammatory indicators, and the diagnostic value of ascitic endocan for SBP were analyzed.Results: A total of 167 patients were enrolled, 39 with the SBP group and 128 in the non-SBP group. Ascitic endocan, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the SBP group than in the non-SBP group (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that ascitic endocan was an independent risk factor for SBP [OR = 1.006 (95% CI: 1.002-1.011); p < 0.001]. Endocan was positively correlated with ascites polymorphonuclear leukocytes, TNF-α, and IL-6. ROC curve analysis showed that ascitic endocan had an AUC of 0.805 for the diagnosis of SBP (p < 0.001) and had a sensitivity of 82.1% and specificity of 73.4% when the cut-off value was 295.011 pg/ml.Conclusions: Ascitic endocan level is an independent risk factor and a valuable diagnostic indicator for SBP in decompensated cirrhosis.

The value of ascitic neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in decompensated liver cirrhosis with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Background

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is one of the most critical complications of decompensated liver cirrhosis. This study aimed to assess whether ascitic neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL), a reliable inflammation biomarker, can be used to detect SBP in decompensated cirrhosis patients and to predict mortality from decompensated cirrhosis‐related SBP.

Methods

This study included 204 hospitalized patients with ascites of decompensated liver cirrhosis and follow‐up of 28 days. We measured ascitic NGAL levels by the latex‐enhanced immunoturbidimetric method. Simultaneously, we observed the patterns of ascitic NGAL levels in the SBP group after 7 days of anti‐infection treatment with third‐generation cephalosporins.

Results

The ascitic NGAL levels significantly increased in the SBP group compared with that in the non‐SBP group, 111(83.9, 178) ng/mL vs 48(35.4, 63) ng/mL, P < .001. Likewise, the ascitic NGAL levels of SBP were higher than non‐SBP with or without renal dysfunction. There was a positive relationship between ascitic NGAL and ascitic polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte and a negative relationship between ascitic NGAL and ascitic albumin in the SBP group. An ascitic NGAL cutoff of 108.95 ng/mL was used for predicting a poor prognosis for SBP patients. Ascitic NGAL and the model for end‐stage liver disease score were independent risk factors in decompensated liver cirrhosis patients with SBP through multivariate Cox regression. A dynamic trend of ascitic NGAL in SBP patients was consistent with the clinical prognosis.

Conclusion

Ascitic NGAL may not only be a biomarker for monitoring SBP but also a predictor for more severe outcomes in decompensated cirrhosis‐related SBP.

Sensitivity of a bedside reagent strip for the detection of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in ED patients with ascites

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine the sensitivity of a highly sensitive bedside leukocyte esterase reagent strip (RS) for detection of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in emergency department (ED) ascites patients undergoing paracentesis.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of ED ascites patients undergoing paracentesis at two academic facilities. Two practitioners, blinded to each other's results, did a bedside RS analysis of the peritoneal fluid in each patient and documented the RS reading at 3-min according to manufacturer-specified colorimetric strip reading as either "negative", "trace", "small", or "large". The primary outcome measure was sensitivity of the RS strip for SBP (absolute neutrophil count ≥ 250 cells/mm³) at the "trace" threshold (positive equals trace or greater).

RESULTS

There were 330 cases enrolled, with 635 fluid analyses performed. Of these, 40 fluid samples had SBP (6%). Bedside RS had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 95% (95% CI 82%-99%), 48% (95% CI 44%-52%), 11% (95% CI 10%-11%), and 99% (95% CI 97%-99%) respectively at the "trace" threshold for the detection of SBP.

CONCLUSION

Bedside use of the RS in ED ascites patients demonstrated high sensitivity for SBP. Given the wide confidence intervals, we cannot currently recommend it as a stand-alone test. We recommend further study with a larger number of SBP patients, potentially combining a negative RS result with low clinical suspicion to effectively rule out SBP without formal laboratory analysis.

Adjusted Intensive Care Infection Score (ICISΔ)-A new approach for prediction of ascitic fluid infection in patients with cirrhosis

BACKGROUND

Early and accurate diagnosis is the key to improving survival in cirrhotic patients with ascitic fluid infection.

AIMS

To investigate the usefulness of adjusted Intensive Care Infection Score (ICIS_Δ) for diagnosis of ascites infection in cirrhotic patients.

METHODS

Cirrhotic patients with ascites (n = 125) were enrolled, and the efficacy of ICIS and ICIS_Δ for predicting ascites infection was evaluated. ICIS_Δ was created by using the weighted variation of each ICIS parameter.

RESULTS

The area under the curves (AUCs) of ICIS for the diagnosis of ascites infection were 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84-0.95), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79-0.90), and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.81-0.93), for SBP, culture-negative SBP, and combined SBP/culture-negative SBP, respectively. ICIS was optimized and diagnostic accuracy was obviously improved. ICIS_Δ had high AUCs of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.93-1.00) for SBP, 0.98 (95% CI: 0.83-1.00) for culture-negative SBP, and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.94-1.00) for the combination group. The optimal cutoff was identified as ICIS_Δ > 2, which had >97.8% sensitivity and 100% specificity for diagnosis of both SBP and culture-negative SBP. The ICIS_Δ had significantly higher AUCs than PCT and CPR in both groups (P = 0.002-0.008). ICIS_Δ kinetics could differentiate between SBP and culture-negative SBP patients. From sterile ascites, through culture-negative SBP to SBP, three ICIS_Δ parameters showed an increasing trend.

CONCLUSIONS

ICIS and ICIS_Δ are simple, rapid, accurate and cost-effective methods for the diagnosis of ascites infection in cirrhotic patients.

Management of bacterial and fungal infections in end stage liver disease and liver transplantation: Current options and future directions

Patients with liver cirrhosis are susceptible to infections due to various mechanisms, including abnormalities of humoral and cell-mediated immunity and occurrence of bacterial translocation from the intestine. Bacterial infections are common and represent a reason for progression to liver failure and increased mortality. Fungal infections, mainly caused by Candida spp., are often associated to delayed diagnosis and high mortality rates. High level of suspicion along with prompt diagnosis and treatment of infections are warranted. Bacterial and fungal infections negatively affect the outcomes of liver transplant candidates and recipients, causing disease progression among patients on the waiting list and increasing mortality, especially in the early post-transplant period. Abdominal, biliary tract, and bloodstream infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria [e.g., Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa)] and Staphylococcus spp. are commonly encountered in liver transplant recipients. Due to frequent exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics, invasive procedures, and prolonged hospitalizations, these patients are especially at risk of developing infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria. The increase in antimicrobial resistance hampers the choice of an adequate empiric therapy and warrants the knowledge of the local microbial epidemiology and the implementation of infection control measures. The main characteristics and the management of bacterial and fungal infections in patients with liver cirrhosis and liver transplant recipients are presented.

MUL+DO: a multicomponent index for the quick diagnosis of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients

Peritoneal infection is a common problem that has a negative impact on the survival of patients and the technique. The early administration of peritoneal infection treatment reduces complications. The goal of this study is to propose a multicomponent index (MUL+DO) for the quick and efficient diagnosis of peritoneal infection. We selected a training cohort of peritoneal effluent samples which were analysed by Multistix ® 10 SG Siemens test strips for leukocyte detection. Then, each sample was examined according to the gold standard: number of leukocytes, polymorphonuclear percentage and microbiological culture. We constructed the MUL+DO index by adding one point to the MULTISTIX [0-1-2-3] modified chromatic scale if the patient reported pain. The MUL+DO index ranged from 0 to 4. A model validation cohort was then created. MUL+DO was applied to each sample and leukocytes and polymorphonuclear percentage were also assessed. The training cohort ultimately included 134 samples, 34 of which with infection (25.4% [17.6-33.1]). Samples with a MUL+DO value greater than 1 presented a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. The validation cohort included 100 samples with 16 infections (16% [8.3-23.7]). Assuming a sample with a MUL+DO value greater than 1 to be positive, we obtained a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 95.2%. The MUL+DO index applied to the training cohort showed a perfect separation of the positive and negative populations. All positive patients presented a score ≥2. In the validation cohort, the MUL+DO reported a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 95.2%.

Treatment for cirrhotic ascites

Common complications of decompensated liver cirrhosis are esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy and ascites. After the onset of complications, the prognosis worsens. In patients with ascites, the 5-year mortality rate is 44%. Furthermore, hyponatremia, spontaneous bacterial translocation and hepatorenal syndrome also greatly worsen the prognosis. Effective treatment of cirrhotic ascites improves the quality of life and survival rate. Recently, the newly produced diuretic, tolvaptan (vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist), was reported to be effective in the treatment of refractory ascites in liver cirrhosis; however, there has not been an associated positive effect on the prognosis. There are various types of treatment for ascites, such as large-volume paracenteses, a cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy, a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and a peritoneo-venous shunt. Although they improve the prognosis, liver transplantation remains the ultimate form of treatment. The present article discusses the therapeutic management of cirrhotic ascites.

The Periscreen Strip Is Highly Efficient for the Exclusion of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis in Cirrhotic Outpatients

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to assess the performance of a new strip (Periscreen) for the rapid diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP).

METHODS

Ascitic fluid (AF) of cirrhotic patients hospitalized between March 2014 and August 2015 was independently tested by two readers using the new strip, which has four colorimetric graduations (negative, trace, small, and large). SBP was diagnosed on neutrophils in ascites>250/mm³. Ascites not related to portal hypertension were excluded.

RESULTS

Overall, 649 patients from 21 French centers were included and 1,402 AF (803 AF samples from 315 outpatients and 599 samples from 334 inpatients) were assessed. Eighty-four AF samples (17 AF in 9 outpatients and 67 AF in 31 inpatients) were diagnosed as SBP. The prevalence of SBP was 6% (2.1% in outpatients vs. 11.2% in inpatients; P<0.001) and 7.2% in patients with symptoms suggestive of SBP (3% in outpatients vs. 11.3% in inpatients; P<0.001). The κ value for inter-reader agreement was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.77-0.84) when using the "trace" threshold. Considering discordant results (n=131) as positive to interpret the diagnostic performance of the strip at the "trace" threshold, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 91.7, 57.1, 12.0, and 99.1%, respectively. At this "trace" threshold, sensitivity and NPV were both 100% in outpatients, and 89.5 and 97.9% in inpatients, respectively. At the "small" threshold, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 81.0, 85.9, 25.9 and 98.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The Periscreen strip is a rapid and highly efficient tool for excluding SBP in the outpatient setting.

Bacterial infections in cirrhosis: A critical review and practical guidance

Bacterial infection is common and accounts for major morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis. Patients with cirrhosis are immunocompromised and increased susceptibility to develop spontaneous bacterial infections, hospital-acquired infections, and a variety of infections from uncommon pathogens. Once infection develops, the excessive response of pro-inflammatory cytokines on a pre-existing hemodynamic dysfunction in cirrhosis further predispose the development of serious complications such as shock, acute-on-chronic liver failure, renal failure, and death. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and bacteremia are common in patients with advanced cirrhosis, and are important prognostic landmarks in the natural history of cirrhosis. Notably, the incidence of infections from resistant bacteria has increased significantly in healthcare-associated settings. Serum biomarkers such as procalcitonin may help to improve the diagnosis of bacterial infection. Preventive measures (e.g., avoidance, antibiotic prophylaxis, and vaccination), early recognition, and proper management are required in order to minimize morbidity and mortality of infections in cirrhosis.

[Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with cirrhosis]

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a severe complication occurring in patients with cirrhosis, and is associated with high mortality. Liver transplantation should be considered after a first episode of SBP. Gram-negative bacilli are the major cause of SBP, however there is an increasing trend of Gram-positive cocci related SBP. Management includes empirical antibiotic treatment and albumin infusion. The choice of antibiotics depends on the site of acquisition (community-acquired vs nosocomial or health-care associated infection) and local resistance profile, due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Secondary prophylaxis is recommended after resolution of SBP and reduces recurrence and mortality. Primary prophylaxis in patients with low protein ascites (<15 g/L) should be restricted to patients with severe cirrhosis awaiting for liver transplantation.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: The clinical challenge of a leaky gut and a cirrhotic liver

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent, life-threatening bacterial infection in patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites. Portal hypertension leads to increased bacterial translocation from the intestine. Failure to eliminate invading pathogens due to immune defects associated with advanced liver disease on the background of genetic predisposition may result in SBP. The efficacy of antibiotic treatment and prophylaxis has declined due to the spread of multi-resistant bacteria. Patients with nosocomial SBP and with prior antibiotic treatment are at a particularly high risk for infection with resistant bacteria. Therefore, it is important to adapt empirical treatment to these risk factors and to the local resistance profile. Rifaximin, an oral, non-absorbable antibiotic, has been proposed to prevent SBP, but may be useful only in a subset of patients. Since novel antibiotic classes are lacking, we have to develop prophylactic strategies which do not induce bacterial resistance. Farnesoid X receptor agonists may be a candidate, but so far, clinical studies are not available. New diagnostic tests which can be carried out quickly at the patient’s site and provide additional prognostic information would be helpful. Furthermore, we need tools to predict antibiotic resistance in order to tailor first-line antibiotic treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis to the individual patient and to reduce mortality.

Diagnosing bacterial peritonitis made easy by use of leukocyte esterase dipsticks

INTRODUCTION

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) requires rapid diagnosis for the initiation of antibiotics. Its diagnosis is usually based on manual examination of ascitic fluid (AF) having long reporting time. AF infection is diagnosed when the fluid polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) concentration ≥250 cells/mm(3).

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Aim was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of leukocyte esterase (LE) reagent strip for rapid diagnosis of SBP in patients who underwent abdominal paracentesis and to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was carried out on 103 patients with ascites. Cell count of AF as determined by colorimetric scale of Multistix 10 SG reagent strip was compared with counting chamber method (PMNL count ≥250 cells/mm(3) was considered positive).

RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS

Of the 103 patients SBP was diagnosed in 20 patients, 83 patients were negative for SBP by manual cell count. The sensitivity and specificity of the LE test for detecting neutrocytic SBP taking grade 2 as cut off were 95% and 96.4% respectively, with a positive predictive value of 86.4% and a negative predictive value of 98.8%. Diagnostic accuracy of LE test was 96.1%.

DISCUSSION

There was a good correlation between the reagent strip result and PMNL count. The LE strip test is based on the esterase activity of activated granulocytes which reacts with an ester-releasing hydroxyphenylpyrrole causing a colour change in the azo dye of reagent strip. It is a very sensitive and specific method for the prompt detection of elevated PMNL count, and represents a convenient, inexpensive, simple, and bedside method for diagnosis of SBP. A negative LE test result excludes SBP with a high degree of certainty.

Diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and an in situ hybridization approach to detect an "unidentified" pathogen

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent and severe complication in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Although identifying the pathogen(s) plays a major role in the management of infectious diseases, ascitic fluid cultures often show negative results in patients with clinical signs and symptoms of SBP, and ascitic fluid cell analyses are the gold standard method for diagnosing SBP. SBP is generally diagnosed based on an increased number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the ascitic fluid (>250/mm(3)), and the identification of the causal pathogen may not be given consideration. We newly developed an in situ hybridization (ISH) method to provide early and direct evidence of bacterial infection in ascites in patients with SBP. This paper will review the diagnosis of SBP, including our novel approach with ISH method to detect bacterial DNA in SBP ascitic fluid.

Diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and an in situ hybridization approach to detect an "unidentified" pathogen

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent and severe complication in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Although identifying the pathogen(s) plays a major role in the management of infectious diseases, ascitic fluid cultures often show negative results in patients with clinical signs and symptoms of SBP, and ascitic fluid cell analyses are the gold standard method for diagnosing SBP. SBP is generally diagnosed based on an increased number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in the ascitic fluid (>250/mm(3)), and the identification of the causal pathogen may not be given consideration. We newly developed an in situ hybridization (ISH) method to provide early and direct evidence of bacterial infection in ascites in patients with SBP. This paper will review the diagnosis of SBP, including our novel approach with ISH method to detect bacterial DNA in SBP ascitic fluid.

Management of infections in cirrhotic patients: report of a consensus conference

The statements produced by the consensus conference on infection in end-stage liver disease promoted by the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver, are here reported. The topics of epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and treatment of infections in patient with compensated and decompensated liver cirrhosis were reviewed by a scientific board of experts who proposed 26 statements that were graded according to level of evidence and strength of recommendation, and approved by an independent jury. Each topic was explored focusing on the more relevant clinical questions. By systematic literature search of available evidence, comparison and discussion of expert opinions, pertinent statements answering specific questions were presented and approved. Short comments were added to explain the basis for grading evidence particularly on case of controversial areas.

Development of a new in situ hybridization method for the detection of global bacterial DNA to provide early evidence of a bacterial infection in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Despite the importance of identifying the causative pathogen(s), ascitic fluid cultures are occasionally negative in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). A novel strategy using the in situ hybridization (ISH) method was introduced to detect the bacterial genomic DNA phagocytized in the blood of patients with sepsis. In the present study, we developed a new ISH probe to detect global bacterial DNA (named as GB probe) and evaluated its utility for detecting the phagocytized bacterial DNA in SBP ascites.

METHODS

Hybridization of bacterial DNA with the GB probe was examined by dot-blot and ISH tests. In addition, the utility of the ISH method to detect the bacterial DNA in the leukocytes of SBP ascites was evaluated.

RESULTS

The GB probe hybridized with the genomic DNA of all 59 bacterial strains tested (59 species of 36 genus). Eleven of 51 patients with ascites (out of total 542 cirrhotic inpatients) were categorized as SBP. The ISH tests showed positive results in 10 of 11 SBP cases. However, the ISH tests all showed negative results in the 40 non-SBP ascitic samples. Therefore, the ISH tests yielded highly sensitive and specific results for detecting the phagocytized bacterial DNA in the leukocytes of SBP ascites. Moreover, all of the ISH test results were obtained within only one day.

CONCLUSIONS

Our newly established ISH method was found to provide both a rapid and sensitive detection of bacterial DNA in SBP ascites, thus suggesting its utility for providing early and direct evidence of bacterial infection in SBP ascites.

Immune dysfunction and infections in patients with cirrhosis

Patients with cirrhosis are immunocompromised and susceptible to infections. Although detection and treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) have improved, overall survival rates have not increased greatly in recent decades-infection still increases mortality 4-fold among patients with cirrhosis. Hospitalized patients with cirrhosis have the highest risk of developing infections, especially patients with gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage. Bacterial infections occur in 32% to 34% of patients with cirrhosis who are admitted to the hospital and 45% of patients with GI hemorrhage. These rates are much higher than the overall rate of infection in hospitalized patients (5%-7%). The most common are SBP (25% of infections), urinary tract infection (20%), and pneumonia (15%). Bacterial overgrowth and translocation from the GI tract are important steps in the pathogenesis of SBP and bacteremia-these processes increase levels of endotoxins and cytokines that induce the inflammatory response and can lead to septic shock, multiorgan dysfunction, and death. A number of other bacterial and fungal pathogens are more common and virulent in patients with cirrhosis than in the overall population. We review the pathogenesis of infections in these patients, along with diagnostic and management strategies.

Diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: An update on leucocyte esterase reagent strips

Ascites remain the commonest complication of decompensated cirrhosis. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is defined as the infection of ascitic fluid (AF) in the absence of a contiguous source of infection and/or an intra-abdominal inflammatory focus. An AF polymorphonuclear (PMN) leucocyte count ≥ 250/mm³ -irrespective of the AF culture result- is universally accepted nowadays as the best surrogate marker for diagnosing SBP. Frequently the results of the manual or automated PMN count do not reach the hands of the responsible medical personnel in a timely manner. However, this is a crucial step in SBP management. Since 2000, 26 studies (most of them published as full papers) have checked the validity of using leukocyte esterase reagent strips (LERS) in SBP diagnosis. LERS appear to have low sensitivity for SBP, some LERS types more than others. On the other hand, though, LERS have consistently given a high negative predictive value (> 95% in the majority of the studies) and this supports the use of LERS as a preliminary screening tool for SBP diagnosis. Finally, an AF-tailored dipstick has been developed. Within the proper setting, it is set to become the mainstream process for handling AF samples.