Quinolone and Multidrug Resistance Predicts Failure of Antibiotic Prophylaxis of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis

Background: The efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients colonized with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) is unknown. We evaluated the effectiveness of fluoroquinolone-based SBP prophylaxis in an era and area of frequent antibiotic resistance.

Methods: This is a prospective observational study in patients with liver cirrhosis and an indication for fluoroquinolone-based prophylaxis of SBP. Patients were recruited and followed in a large German tertiary reference center with comprehensive microbiological and clinical monitoring performed at baseline and after 30, 60, 90, and 180 days of prophylaxis.

Results: Overall, 77 patients received antibiotic prophylaxis for an average of 93 days. Baseline prevalence of colonization with MDROs was high (N = 39, 50.6%). At least one de novo MDRO was detected in 27 patients (35.1%) during antibiotic prophylaxis; 33 patients (42.9%) developed secondary infections, including 14 cases (17.9%) of infections with MDROs, and 13 cases (16.9%) of de novo/recurrent SBP. Thirty patients (39.0%) died during follow-up. Significantly higher risks of SBP development during antibiotic prophylaxis were observed for patients with versus without any apparent MDROs (P = .009), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (P = .008), multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (P = .016), or quinolone-resistant gram-negative bacteria (QR-GNB) (P = .015). In competing risk analysis, QR-GNB were independently associated with prophylaxis failure (hazard ratio, 3.39; P = .045) and infections with QR-GNB were independently associated with death before SBP (subdistribution hazard risk, 6.47; P = .034).

Conclusions: Antibiotic prophylaxis of SBP appears to be less efficient in patients with known MDROs. Regular MDRO screening seems to be useful to tailor treatment of secondary infections and re-evaluate antibiotic prophylaxis in case of selection of quinolone resistance.