title: Is procalcitonin increased in cases of invasive amoebiasis? A retrospective, observational study.
abstract: Procalcitonin (PCT) levels are commonly used for diagnostic guidance in routine bacterial infections. By contrast, little data are currently available regarding PCT in parasitic diseases, and its role in cases of invasive amoebiasis has not yet been described. For this purpose, 35 adult patients with a proven diagnosis of invasive or digestive amoebiasis were included in a 4-year study period. Serum PCT was retrospectively assessed. Results were analysed with regard to the usual inflammatory biomarkers, like C-reactive protein (CRP). PCT was significantly higher in patients with proven invasive amoebiasis than in digestive amoebiasis (mean value: 4.03 μg/L versus 0.07 μg/L, respectively; P < 0.001), but the SD was greater than with CRP, and the effect was less than that demonstrated in bacterial infections. By contrast, PCT was not shown to be elevated during digestive amoebiasis.
authors.affiliation: CHU de Tours, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie-Médecine Tropicale, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Recipon
authors.affiliation: CHU de Tours, Laboratoire de Biochimie, Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, Faculté de Médecine, Morphogénèse et Antigénicité du VIH et des Virus des Hépatites-Inserm U 966, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Éric
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Piver
authors.affiliation: CHU de Tours, Service de Biostatistiques, Informatique Médicale et Technologies de Communication, Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, PRES Centre-Val de Loire, Inserm-CIC 1415, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caille
authors.affiliation: CHU de Nantes, Institut de Biologie, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Nantes, France; Université de Nantes Atlantique, Faculté de Pharmacie, Département de Parasitologie et Mycologie Médicale Cibles et Médicaments des Infections et du Cancer-EA 1155-IICiMed, Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Le Pape
authors.affiliation: CHU d'Angers, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Nantes, France; Université d'Angers, Institut de Biologie en Santé PBH-IRIS, Groupe d'Étude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène-EA 3142, Angers, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pihet
authors.affiliation: CHU de Tours, Laboratoire de Biochimie, Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, Faculté de Médecine, Morphogénèse et Antigénicité du VIH et des Virus des Hépatites-Inserm U 966, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pagès
authors.affiliation: CHU de Tours, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie-Médecine Tropicale, Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, Faculté de Médecine, Centre d'Étude des Pathologies Respiratoires, Unité Inserm U1100-Equipe 3, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chandenier
authors.affiliation: CHU de Tours, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie-Médecine Tropicale, Tours, France; Université François-Rabelais, Faculté de Médecine, Centre d'Étude des Pathologies Respiratoires, Unité Inserm U1100-Equipe 3, Tours, France. Electronic address: guillaume.desoubeaux@univ-tours.fr.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Desoubeaux
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000562:Amebiasis / Q000473:pathology*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
keywords: Amoebiasis; C-reactive protein; Entamoeba histolytica; Liver abscesses; Procalcitonin