Infection of the peritoneum causes an inflammatory reaction with a subsequent increase in the number of neutrophils in the fluid. Diagnosis is made by paracentesis (needle aspiration of the ascitic fluid);<unk>  is diagnosed if the fluid contains neutrophils at greater than 250 cells per mm3 (equals a cell count of 250 x106/L) fluid in the absence of another reason for this (such as inflammation of one of the internal organs or a perforation). The fluid is also cultured to identify<unk>  If the sample is sent in a plain sterile container, 40% of samples will identify an organism, while if the sample is sent in a bottle with culture medium, the sensitivity increases to 72–90%.
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Tertiary peritonitis
Gallstone ileus
Feline infectious peritonitis
Ascending cholangitis
Abdominal compartment syndrome
Superior mesenteric artery syndrome
Bowel obstruction