Frequency and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacterial Agents Causing Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis: A Two-Center Experience

Background: Peritonitis remains a significant complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in children. Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate the causative agents of PD-related peritonitis in pediatric patients treated by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in order to provide evidence for improving the empirical treatment of PD-related peritonitis and avoid antimicrobial resistance. Methods: The medical records of children diagnosed with PD-related peritonitis hospitalized at Mofid and Ali-Asghar Children’s Hospitals from January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Cases of relapsing peritonitis and fungal peritonitis were excluded. Data on demographics, clinical manifestations, para-clinical evaluations, peritoneal fluid culture and antibiogram, and antibiotic regimen were analyzed. Results: A total of 23 CAPD children aged 1 - 17 years were hospitalized with a confirmed diagnosis of PD-related peritonitis, accounting for a total of 27 peritonitis cases. The most frequent manifestation of peritonitis was cloudy dialysate (85.2%), followed by abdominal pain (59.3%). Gram-negative organisms were isolated in 48.1% of cases, and 4 cases had negative cultures. The frequency of antibiotic prescription within 14 days of admission was significantly higher in culture-negative cases (P = 0.002), and abdominal pain was more prevalent in Gram-negative peritonitis (P = 0.004). All Gram-negative organisms were sensitive to ceftazidime and imipenem; while 61.6% of them were sensitive to gentamycin. All Gram-positive organisms were sensitive to cefazolin, and vancomycin was effective against all Staphylococcus strains. Oxacillin resistance was reported in 50% of Staphylococcus strains. Conclusions: PD-related peritonitis should be suspected even in cases with clear dialysis effluent who present with other manifestations of peritonitis such as fever or abdominal pain. Moreover, intraperitoneal administration of a first-generation cephalosporin (cefazolin) combined with ceftazidime was an appropriate therapeutic option for empiric therapy.