Primary and secondary peritonitis: an update.

Intraabdominal infections are commonly encountered in clinical practice and represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The most common etiology is contamination of the peritoneal space by endogenous microflora secondary to loss of integrity of the gastrointestinal tract which results in secondary peritonitis. Primary peritonitis or spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is less common and usually occurs in the presence of ascites without an evident source of infection. Peritonitis associated with chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is not discussed in this review. This review summarizes the significant progress which has been made with regard to primary and secondary peritonitis in the last two decades. The review emphasizes the issues of etiology, pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, medical treatment and prevention.