title: Role of fibronectin in diagnosing bacterial infection in infancy.
abstract: Plasma fibronectin levels and complete blood cell counts were assessed prospectively among 100 infants less than 3 months of age with the provisional diagnosis of "possible sepsis". Seven of the ten infants with culture-proved bacteremia, meningitis, or urinary tract infection had low plasma fibronectin levels as did 12 (13%) of 90 infants with superficial or no documented bacterial infection. The positive predictive value of a low plasma fibronectin level in conjunction with leukocytosis and elevated band ratio for discriminating serious bacterial infection was 71%. Normal white blood cell counts or fibronectin level alone or in combination predicted the absence of serious bacterial infection with an accuracy of at least 94%. Plasma fibronectin determination provides a useful adjunct to the complete blood cell count for the rapid evaluation of extent of illness in young infants with possible sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Myers-Black Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rench
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008581:Meningitis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins