Prevalence of peritonitis-associated coagulase-negative staphylococci on the skin of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.

The predominance of coagulase-negative staphylococci as normal skin flora is thought to be a factor in their association with episodes of peritonitis in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. We investigated the prevalence of peritonitis-associated strains on the skin of 28 patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most frequently isolated organisms, comprising 47% of peritoneal dialysis fluid isolates and 59% of body site isolates. A total of 142 coagulase-negative staphylococci were speciated, tested for their antimicrobial sensitivity and slime production, and identified by phage typing and plasmid-profile analysis. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most commonly identified species from both peritoneal dialysis fluid (73%) and body sites (53%). Multiple antibiotic resistance was common, and the greater proportion of isolates were resistant to methicillin; 63.6% of peritoneal dialysis fluid isolates and 61.7% of body-site isolates. S. haemolyticus isolates were significantly more resistant to methicillin than other species. By phage typing and plasmid-profile analysis it was shown that peritonitis was rarely caused by skin-colonizing strains. In only 3 of 14 patients were peritonitis-associated strains isolated as skin colonizers, and no patients developed peritonitis due to organisms previously isolated as skin colonizers.