title: Biochemical markers of neonatal sepsis: value of procalcitonin in the emergency setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated procalcitonin (PCT) assay in the emergency diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection, especially in preterm infants, relative to C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty neonates (32 preterm), of whom 21 were infected, were tested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concentrations of PCT, CRP and fibrinogen in uninfected infants were not affected by gestational age at birth. Concentrations of CRP and PCT increased rapidly during the first 24 h of life, while fibrinogen concentrations increased gradually from birth. All marker concentrations were significantly greater in neonates with bacterial infection. Receiver-operating characterstic analysis showed that optimum cut-off values for fibrinogen, CRP and PCT were 3.0 g/L, 7.5 mg/L and 2.5 microg/L respectively, for the diagnosis of sepsis at birth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Determination of PCT is of value in excluding bacterial infection in neonates since it has a negative predictive value of 93%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry Hôpital Robert Debré Paris, France. jean.guibourdenche@rdb.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guibourdenche
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bedu
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Petzold
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marchand
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mariani-Kurdjian
authors.forename: Marie-Françoise
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hurtaud-Roux
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aujard
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Porquet
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000097:blood; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012372:ROC Curve; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide