Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis and Bacteremia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Patients with Liver Cirrhosis (LC) are at high risk of developing bacterial infections. Pathological bacterial translocation has been implicated as an important cause of bacterial infection in patients with LC, and Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (SBP) and bacteremia are common and often fatal bacterial infections in these patients. Moreover, the incidence of hepatorenal syndrome is associated with bacterial infections such as SBP; in addition, the syndrome is often fatal in patients with LC. The frequency of isolation of multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms in patients with LC and bacterial infections has been reported to be increasing in recent years, and infections caused by MDR organisms appear to be associated with poor prognoses. However, further research is required to better understand bacterial infections in the setting of LC because there remain unresolved problems related to this issue. This review summarizes the frequency, diagnoses, causative organisms, prognoses, and treatment of SBP and bacteremia in patients with LC.