The Evaluation of Microorganisms Isolated from Peritoneal Dialysis Fluids of Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) Patients with Peritonitis

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) therapy is a good alternative replacement therapy in chronic renal failure patients but acute or recurrent peritonitis has been still a major problem during this therapy. This study was performed to analyse the microorganisms of CAPD peritonitis in our hospital. This study was performed on 43 CAPD patients between January 2001 and February 2002. The data of 43 patients who were hospitalized due to CAPD peritonitis were retrospectively analysed from the charts of peritoneal dialysis nurse, infectious disease control committee nurse and medical doctor and specialist of infectious disease. Seventy-three peritoneal dialysis fluids of 43 CAPD patients with peritonitis were analysed. Thirty peritoneal fluids were culture positive (41%), 43 were culture negative (59%). The microorganisms isolated were respectively; coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (30%), Staphylococcus aureus (27%), Candida spp. (21%), Escherichia coli (10%), Streptococcus spp. (6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3%). The incidence of CAPD peritonitis epizodes per patient was 1.6/year. In our study the most common microorganisms in CAPD peritonitis leading to infection was predominantly gram-positive skin flora. This may be related with contamination at the time of exchange. This study shows that training of the patients and applying the hygiene rules is very important in CAPD patients. Increasing number of peritonitis episodes is related with more complicated microorganisms like gram-negative and fungi. This may play an important role to plan the antibiotic therapy related with these microorganisms in recurrent peritonitis