Antibiotic treatment in cirrhotic patients

In this editorial, we comment on the article by Liakina V: “Antibiotic resistance in patients with liver cirrhosis: Prevalence and current approach to tackle” (World J Clin Cases 2023, 11: 7530-7542). In this excellent review, Liakina presents current data on bacterial complications in patients with cirrhosis. Bacterial infections are the most common complication in patients with liver cirrhosis. We focus specifically on spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) which is the most representative infectious complication. Liakina V suggested starting empirically, in all patients with suspected SBP, third-generation cephalosporins when the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in ascites is greater than 250/mm3. This statement creates some doubts in our clinical practice so we discuss on the unsolved pitfalls of diagnosis and treatment that are often encountered in patients with ascitic fluid infections, especially on bacterascites that is defined as ascitic bacterial growth with PMNs below 250/mm3. The severity of liver disease and overall prognosis are highly comparable for patients with bacterascites and SBP in some recent well-conducted studies. Furthermore, we present a brief analysis of the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant isolates with an introduction of currently approved antibiotic drug options to treat ascitic fluid infections avoiding antibiotic resistance. In light of the most recent epidemiological data, third-generation cephalosporins should not be considered as an empirical antibiotic treatment of choice for ascitic fluid infections.