Association Between Bacterial Virulency and SBP Patient Outcomes (2024)

Undergraduate: Joe Danica Inigo

Faculty Advisor: Carlton Moore
Department: Hospital Medicine -- UNC Health Care

---

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, commonly referred to as SBP, is an infection caused by an accumulation of abdominal fluid particularly seen in patients with cirrhosis (fibrosis of the liver). It’s theorized that these patients are prone to translocation of bacteria from their intestinal tract into their abdomens. A study was conducted regarding the effects of the time of treatment of antibiotics on patient outcomes for SBP-afflicted patients, namely those of length of stay and discharge disposition. It was hypothesized that microorganisms with more virulent mechanisms of action would lead to longer length of stay and a more severe discharge disposition amongst patients with SBP. Peritoneal fluid was removed from the abdomen of patients with SBP, and the various strains of bacteria within each sample were cultured and used for data analysis. There was a trend (0.05 ≤ p < 0.10) towards worse patient outcomes in SBP patients whose cultures were positive for Micrococcus, Enterococcus, and Candida, which may be indicative of a more severe mechanism of action. However, none met statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05). The small sample size (n = 95) used in the study meant many associations were unable to be established. Thus, future studies regarding this topic should entail larger sample sizes to better establish possible associations.