title: C-reactive protein and buffy coat smear in early diagnosis of childhood septicemia.
abstract: Out of 200 cases of septicemia in children (age group 0-14 years), 111 had positive C-Reactive Protein (CRP > 12 mg/l) and 84 were buffy coat smear positive. Blood culture was positive in 98 cases, with predominant organism being Klebsiella pneumoniae, followed by Staphylococcus aureus. CRP test showed 100% sensitivity and 87.3% specificity, while buffy coat smear showed 76.5% sensitivity and 91.2% specificity. As blood culture reports are not available before 48-72 hours, combination of CRP test and buffy coat smear examination will be very helpful in early diagnosis of childhood septicemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, L.T.M.M.C., Sion, Bombay.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saraswathi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gogate
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raghavan
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D003470:Culture Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D002097:C-Reactive Protein