title: Host response biomarkers in sepsis: the role of procalcitonin.
abstract: Procalcitonin is the prohormone of calcitonin and present in minute quantities in health. However, during infection, its levels rise considerably and are correlated with the severity of the infection. Several assays have been developed for measurement of procalcitonin levels; in this article, we will briefly present the PCT-sensitive Kryptor(®) test (Brahms, Hennigsdorf, Germany), one of the most widely used assays for procalcitonin in recent studies. Many studies have demonstrated the value of procalcitonin levels for diagnosing sepsis and assessing disease severity. Procalcitonin levels have also been successfully used to guide antibiotic administration. However, procalcitonin is not specific for sepsis, and values need to be interpreted in the context of a full clinical examination and the presence of other signs and symptoms of sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070, Brussels, Belgium, jlvincen@ulb.ac.be.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Nuffelen
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lelubre
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D004735:Energy Transfer; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide