Received July 25, 2007
Accepted on October 23, 2007

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Coagulase Negative Staphylococcal Peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: Review of 232 Consecutive Cases

Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China

¹ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ccszeto{at}cuhk.edu.hk.

	Abstract

Background and objectives: Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species is the most common cause of peritoneal dialysis–related peritonitis; however, the optimal treatment strategy of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species peritonitis remains controversial.  Design, setting, participants, & measurements: All of the coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species peritonitis in a dialysis unit from 1995 to 2006 were reviewed. During this period, there were 2037 episodes of peritonitis recorded; 232 episodes (11.4%) in 155 patients were caused by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species.  Results: The overall primary response rate was 95.3%; the complete cure rate was 71.1%. Patients with a history of recent hospitalization or recent antibiotic therapy had a higher risk for developing methicillin-resistant strains. Episodes that were treated initially with cefazolin or vancomycin had similar primary response rate and complete cure rate. There were 33 (14.2%) episodes of relapse and 29 (12.5%) episodes of repeat peritonitis; 12 (60.6%) of the repeat episodes developed within 3 mo after completion of antibiotics. Relapse or repeat episodes had a significantly lower complete cure rate than the other episodes. For relapse or repeat episodes, treatment with effective antibiotics for 3 wk was associated with a significantly higher complete cure rate than the conventional 2-wk treatment.  Conclusions: Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species peritonitis remains a common complication of peritoneal dialysis. Methicillin resistance is common, but the treatment outcome remains favorable when cefazolin is used as the first-line antibiotic. A 3-wk course of antibiotic can probably achieve a higher cure rate in relapse or repeat episodes.