scholarly journals C-reactive protein or procalcitonin combined with rhinorrhea for discrimination of viral from bacterial infections in hospitalized adults in non-intensive care units with lower respiratory tract infections

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengchen Duan ◽  
Xiaoying Gu ◽  
Guohui Fan ◽  
Fei Zhou ◽  
Guangfa Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Whether procalcitonin (PCT) or C-reactive protein (CRP) combined with certain clinical characteristics can better distinguish viral from bacterial infections remains unclear. The aim of the study was to assess the ability of PCT or CRP combined with clinical characteristics to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections in hospitalized non-intensive care unit (ICU) adults with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Methods This was a post-hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial previously conducted among LRTI patients. The ability of PCT, CRP and PCT or CRP combined with clinical symptoms to discriminate between viral and bacterial infection were assessed by portraying receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves among patients with only a viral or a typical bacterial infection. Results In total, 209 infected patients (viral 69%, bacterial 31%) were included in the study. When using CRP or PCT to discriminate between viral and bacterial LRTI, the optimal cut-off points were 22 mg/L and 0.18 ng/mL, respectively. When the optimal cut-off for CRP (≤ 22 mg/L) or PCT (≤ 0.18 ng/mL) combined with rhinorrhea was used to discriminate viral from bacterial LRTI, the AUCs were 0.81 (95% CI: 0.75–0.87) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.74–0.86), which was statistically significantly better than when CRP or PCT used alone (p < 0.001). When CRP ≤ 22 mg/L, PCT ≤ 0.18 ng/mL and rhinorrhea were combined, the AUC was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80–0.91), which was statistically significantly higher than when CRP (≤ 22 mg/L) or PCT (≤ 0.18 ng/mL) was combined with rhinorrhea (p = 0.011 and p = 0.021). Conclusions Either CRP ≤ 22 mg/L or PCT ≤ 0.18 ng/mL combined with rhinorrhea could help distinguish viral from bacterial infections in hospitalized non-ICU adults with LRTI. When rhinorrhea was combined together, discrimination ability was further improved.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
DUAN Shengchen ◽  
Xiaoying Gu ◽  
Guohui Fan ◽  
Fei Zhou ◽  
Guangfa Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Whether procalcitonin (PCT) or C-reactive protein (CRP) combined with some clinical characteristics can better distinguish viral from bacterial infection is not clear. The aim was to assess the ability of PCT or CRP combined with clinical characteristics to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections in hospitalized non-intensive care unit (ICU) adults with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI).Methods: This was a post-hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial previously conducted among LRTI patients. The ability of PCT, CRP, and PCT or CRP combined with clinical characteristics to discriminate between viral and bacterial infection were estimated by portraying receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves among patients with only vial or typical bacterial infection .Results: In total, 209 patients (virus 69%, bacteria 31%) were included in this study. When using CRP or PCT to discriminate between viral and bacterial LRTI, the optimal cut-off point were 22mg/L and 0.18ng/ml, respectively. When the optimal cut-off for CRP (≤22ml/L) or PCT (≤0.18ng/ml) combined with rhinorrhea was used to discriminate viral from bacterial LRTI, the AUCs were 0.81 (95% CI, 0.75–0.87) and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.74–0.86), respectively. When CRP≤22ml/L, PCT≤0.18ng/ml and rhinorrhea were combined, the AUC was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.80–0.91), which was statistically significant higher than that when CRP(≤22mg/L) or PCT (≤0.18ng/mL) was combined with rhinorrhea (p=0.0107 and p=0.0205).Conclusions: Either CRP≤22mg/L or PCT≤0.18ng/mL combined with rhinorrhea could help distinguish viral from bacterial infection in hospitalized non-ICU adults with LRTI. When rhinorrhea was combined together, discrimination ability can be further improved.


2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen D. Langereis ◽  
Eva S. van der Pasch ◽  
Marien I. de Jonge

ABSTRACTNontypeableHaemophilus influenzae(NTHi) colonizes the human upper respiratory tract without causing disease symptoms, but it is also a major cause of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in children and elderly, respectively. NTHi synthesizes various molecules to decorate its lipooligosaccharide (LOS), which modulates the level of virulence. The presence of phosphorylcholine (PCho) on NTHi LOS increases adhesion to epithelial cells, which is an advantage for the bacterium enabling nasopharyngeal colonization. However, when PCho is incorporated on the LOS of NTHi, it is recognized by the acute-phase C-reactive protein (CRP) and PCho-specific antibodies, both potent initiators of the classical pathway of complement activation. We determined the presence of PCho and binding of IgG and IgM to the bacterial surface for 319 NTHi strains collected from the nasopharynx/oropharynx, middle ear, and lower respiratory tract. PCho detection was higher for NTHi strains collected from the nasopharynx/oropharynx, which was associated with increased binding of IgM and IgG to the bacterial surface. Binding of CRP and IgM to the bacterial surface of PChohighNTHi strains increased complement-mediated killing, which was largely dependent on PCho-specific IgM. The levels of PCho-specific IgM varied in sera from 12 healthy individuals, and higher PCho-specific IgM levels were associated with increased complement-mediated killing of a PChohighNTHi strain. In conclusion, incorporation of PCho on the LOS of NTHi marks the bacterium for binding of CRP and IgM, resulting in complement-mediated killing. Therefore, having a lower PCho might be beneficial in situations where sufficient PCho-specific antibodies and complement are present.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Kaeslin ◽  
Saskia Brunner ◽  
Janine Raths ◽  
Andreas Huber

AbstractImmediate treatment of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) caused by bacteria is important to reduce pneumonia and other complications such as systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis. Nowadays procalcitonin (PCT) is the gold standard to differentiate between bacterial and non-bacterial infections in LRTI. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the new Intensive Care Infection Score (ICIS) which is a combination of various cellular measurements made on hematology analyzers could be a potential method to differentiate between bacterial and non-bacterial infections in LRTI.The ICIS is composed of five blood-cell derived parameters characterizing the early innate immune response; (1) mean fluorescence intensity of mature (segmented) neutrophils; (2) the difference in hemoglobin concentration between newly formed red blood cells and the mature ones; (3) absolute number of segmented neutrophils; (4) absolute count of antibody secreting lymphocytes and (5) absolute count of number of granulocytes.The discriminative power of ICIS to differentiate between patients with LRTI of bacterial and non-bacterial origin is as good or even better as the commonly used infection biomarkers PCT, CRP and IL-6.Beside PCT, CRP and IL-6, ICIS could be used as infection marker in LRTI.


Infection ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabell Pink ◽  
David Raupach ◽  
Jan Fuge ◽  
Ralf-Peter Vonberg ◽  
Marius M. Hoeper ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread around the world. Differentiation between pure viral COVID-19 pneumonia and secondary infection can be challenging. In patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) on admission physicians often decide to prescribe antibiotic therapy. However, overuse of anti-infective therapy in the pandemic should be avoided to prevent increasing antimicrobial resistance. Procalcitonin (PCT) and CRP have proven useful in other lower respiratory tract infections and might help to differentiate between pure viral or secondary infection. Methods We performed a retrospective study of patients admitted with COVID-19 between 6th March and 30th October 2020. Patient background, clinical course, laboratory findings with focus on PCT and CRP levels and microbiology results were evaluated. Patients with and without secondary bacterial infection in relation to PCT and CRP were compared. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the best discriminating cut-off value of PCT and CRP with the corresponding sensitivity and specificity was calculated. Results Out of 99 inpatients (52 ICU, 47 Non-ICU) with COVID-19, 32 (32%) presented with secondary bacterial infection during hospitalization. Patients with secondary bacterial infection had higher PCT (0.4 versus 0.1 ng/mL; p = 0.016) and CRP (131 versus 73 mg/L; p = 0.001) levels at admission and during the hospital stay (2.9 versus 0.1 ng/mL; p < 0.001 resp. 293 versus 94 mg/L; p < 0.001). The majority of patients on general ward had no secondary bacterial infection (93%). More than half of patients admitted to the ICU developed secondary bacterial infection (56%). ROC analysis of highest PCT resp. CRP and secondary infection yielded AUCs of 0.88 (p < 0.001) resp. 0.86 (p < 0.001) for the entire cohort. With a PCT cut-off value at 0.55 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 91% with a specificity of 81%; a CRP cut-off value at 172 mg/L yielded a sensitivity of 81% with a specificity of 76%. Conclusion PCT and CRP measurement on admission and during the course of the disease in patients with COVID-19 may be helpful in identifying secondary bacterial infections and guiding the use of antibiotic therapy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustín Ruiz-González ◽  
Aureli Esquerda ◽  
José M Porcel ◽  
Silvia Bielsa ◽  
Horacio Valencia ◽  
...  

Background : Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among infectious diseases in developed countries. However, the severity of pneumonia requiring hospitalization often makes the initial diagnosis difficult because of an equivocal clinical picture or interpretation of the chest film. The objective of the present study was to assess the usefulness of the plasma levels of mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) and mid-regional proatrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) in differentiating pneumonia from other lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). Methods : A retrospective study was conducted. The plasma levels of MR-proADM and MR-proANP were measured in 85 patients hospitalized for LRTIs, 56 of whom with diagnosis of pneumonia and 29 with other LRTIs. Results : The patients with pneumonia had increased MR-proADM levels (median 1.46 nmol/L [IQR 25-75, 0.82-2.02 nmol/L]) compared with the patients with other LRTIs (median 0.88 nmol/mL [0.71-1.39 nmol/L]) (p= 0.04). However, the MR-proANP levels did not show differences between the groups. The optimal threshold of MR-proADM to predict pneumonia was 1.5 nmol/L, which yielded a sensitivity of 51.7% (95% CI, 38.0-65.3), a 79.3% specificity (95% CI, 60.3-92.0), and an odds ratio of 6.64 (95% CI, 1.32-32.85). The combination of this parameter with C-reactive protein in an “and” rule increased the specificity for detecting pneumonia significantly. Conclusion : MR-proADM levels (but not MR-proANP levels) are increased in patients with pneumonia although its discriminatory power is moderate.


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