Abstract Introduction: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is diagnosed by the presence of q250 polymorph nuclear cells (PMN) per milliliter (ml) in ascitic fluid. However, the pro-cedure is time-consuming, operator-dependent, and not always readily available. Calprotectin is a cytosolic protein in neu-trophilic leukocytes that is released in response to inflammatory processes. In the GI tract calprotectin in feces is considered a ... Read more

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is common and dangerous infection that occurs in 8-27% of cirrhotic inpatients with ascites. In the current study we have demonstrated and compared the diagnostic performance of ascitic fluid lactoferrin and calprotectin in the screening and diagnosis of SBP. In addition we have evaluated ascitic fluid calprotectin to albumin ratio as a novel marker in the ... Read more