title: Chemoattractant and opsonic activity in ascitic fluid. A study in 47 patients with cirrhosis or malignant peritonitis.
abstract: We studied prospectively the ascitic fluid of 47 patients. Thirty-five were cirrhotics (group A) and 12 had malignant peritonitis (group B). All ascitic fluid samples were initially uninfected. We measured opsonic activity by a chemiluminescent assay, and chemoattractant activity by the under agarose technique. We also measured ascitic concentrations of C3, C4, fibronectin, C-reactive protein, immunoglobulins G, A and M and total proteins. All patients were followed throughout the presence of ascites. None of the group B patients developed peritoneal infection, nor did 23 of the group A patients (group A2). Twelve group A patients (group A1) developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), four of them with recurrence. All indices except immunoglobulins A and M were significantly different between group A and group B patients. Comparing group A1 and group A2, only chemoattractant activity and concentrations of total proteins and C3 were significantly lower in group A1. Using a multivariate analysis with Cox's model, only C3 concentration had an independent predictive value for occurrence of SBP in cirrhotic patients.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Jean Verdier, Bondy, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mal
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Huu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bendahou
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Trinchet
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garnier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hakim
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beaugrand
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000502:physiology; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009895:Opsonin Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D003176:Complement C3; D009895:Opsonin Proteins