Ascitic Fluid Microbiome in Liver Cirrhosis

Ascitic fluid microbiome is going to be investigated in this study by using internal transcripted spacer (ITS) and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing as conventional culture methods are lacking sensitivity regarding diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP).

All patients with routinely performed ascitic fluid puncture and underlying liver cirrhosis are included in this study. Next generation sequencing (NGS) in ascitic fluid, skin swaps from puncture side and stool samples as well as conventional culture methods are performed to investigate the difference in the microbiome between patients with and without SBP.