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Peritonitis is a frequently life-threatening infection (or an
inflammation) of the peritoneum, which is a two-layered membrane covering both the surfaces of the organs that lie in the abdominal cavity and the inner surface of the abdominal cavity itself.
A major cause of bacterial peritonitis is internal perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, contaminating the abdominal cavity with bacteria from gastric contents. This may result as a complication of an intestinal foreign
body or a ruptured appendix.
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