Abstract
Acute and chronic liver diseases are frequently complicated by infections, which result
in increased morbidity and mortality and place an economic burden on health care systems.
This review discusses the epidemiology and the impact on prognosis of infections in
liver cirrhosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, acute
liver failure, and post–liver transplantation. Possible mechanisms for this increased
susceptibility are innate immune dysfunction (Kupffer cells, neutrophils, monocytes),
genetic predisposition, and intrinsic cellular defects. The causes for innate immune
dysfunction may lie in increased gut permeability, the occurrence of endotoxemia,
albumin and lipoprotein dysfunction, or toll-like receptor expression. From a clinical
viewpoint this article discusses problems in diagnosing infection. Established (vaccination,
antibiotic prophylaxis, antiviral prophylaxis, and nutrition) and experimental (probiotic)
prophylactic strategies as well as established (antibiotics) and experimental (liver
support, albumin, toll-like receptor antagonists) strategies are also reviewed.
Keywords
infection - liver cirrhosis - acute liver failure - immune dysfunction