[Primary peritonitis].

Primary peritonitis accounts for 1 to 2 per cent of all paediatric abdominal emergencies and for about 15 per cent of diffuse peritoneal sepsis. The condition is still mainly seen in infants and in mid-childhood years, Most frequently in children four to eight years of age, with females outnumbering the males except among neonates where the males predominate. The mortality rate is about 50 per cent for infants, but drops to 10 to 15 per cent in older children. The origin of the infecting organism may be a haematogenous spread or ascension through the female genital tract, but transdiaphragmatic lymphatics and transmural migration through the gut wall may also be possible sources. The incidence of primary peritonitis is increased in children with nephrotic syndrome, postnecrotic cirrhosis with ascites and immunologic deficiency. Practically all kinds of pathogenic organisms are found, but a relative increase in staphylococcal and gram-negative infections has been noted.