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. 2025 Apr 11;14(8):2641.
doi: 10.3390/jcm14082641.

Multiplex PCR for Microbiological Testing in Patients with Peritoneal Dialysis- and Liver Cirrhosis-Related Peritonitis: Faster, but Less Sensitive

Sebastian Schwab  1 , Daniel Pörner  1 , Dominik Boes  2 , Achim Hoerauf  3 , Jacob Nattermann  1 , Christian Strassburg  1 , Gunnar T R Hischebeth  3 , Philipp Lutz  1
Affiliations

Multiplex PCR for Microbiological Testing in Patients with Peritoneal Dialysis- and Liver Cirrhosis-Related Peritonitis: Faster, but Less Sensitive

Sebastian Schwab et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: We analyzed the performance of a multiplex PCR application (Unyvero IAI) in comparison to culture in a cohort of peritonitis patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis or with liver cirrhosis. Methods: We performed a single-center study of 47 patients with clinically suspected peritonitis and compared pathogen detection rates of culture and PCR. The main outcome of interest was a comparison of accuracy and time to final positive result. Results: In the total cohort, the pathogen detection rate in culture was 58.14% versus 34.88% in PCR (p = 0.03). Detection rates of bacteria in peritoneal dialysis patients were even higher by culture (70.83%) but comparably low by PCR (37.50%; p = 0.04). The majority of discordant results were in the Gram-positive spectrum (81.82%). Differential time to final positive result was 37.39 ± 16.75 h. Conclusion: Time gains by using PCR diagnostic have to be weighed against lower detection rates, mainly in Gram-positive infections.

Keywords: PCR; liver cirrhosis; peritoneal dialysis; peritonitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

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Figure 1
Time to positive result of culture and PCR.
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