Bacterial Ecology of Peritonitis in a Sub-Saharan Peritoneal Dialysis Unit

Abstract

Peritonitis is a common and serious complication of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD). Peritonitis is the direct or major contributing cause of death in around 16% of PD patients [1, 2]. In addition, severe or prolonged peritonitis leads to structural and functional alterations of the peritoneal membrane, eventually leading to membrane failure. Peritonitis is a major cause of PD technique failure and conversion to long-term hemodialysis. The most commonly encountered bacteria are staphylococcus and Gram-negative bacilli [3]. Difficulties in the treatment of bacterial infections with PD are related to the frequency of multidrug resistance of the causal agent. Identification of the organism and subsequent antibiotic sensitivities help in guiding the choice of antibiotic, and the type of organism often indicates the possible source of infection. After 10 years of experience with this complication, this study was conducted to shed light on the bacterial ecology profile of peritoneal infections in Dakar. Patients and Methods