Clinical application of presepsin as diagnostic biomarker of infection: overview and updates

Abstract The appropriate identification of bacterial infection is the basis for effective treatment and control of infective disease. Among this context, an emerging biomarker of infection is presepsin (PSP), recently described as early marker of different infections. PSP secretion has been shown to be associated with monocyte phagocytosis and plasmatic levels of PSP increase in response to bacterial infection and decrease after antibiotic treatment, therefore it can be considered a marker of activation of immune cell response towards an invading pathogen. Different methods have been developed to measure PSP and this review will briefly describe the different clinical fields of application of PSP, ranging from intensive care to neonatal infection, to orthopedic and pulmonary infection as well as fungal infections and cardiovascular infections.

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The innate immune cell response to bacterial infection in larval zebrafish is light-regulated

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-017-12842-1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lucia Y. Du ◽

Hannah Darroch ◽

Pramuk Keerthisinghe ◽

Elina Ashimbayeva ◽

Jonathan W. Astin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Infection ◽

Cell Response ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Innate Immune Cell ◽

Larval Zebrafish ◽

Immune Cell Response

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The Interactions Between Candida albicans and Mucosal Immunity

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2021.652725 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yujie Zhou ◽

Lei Cheng ◽

Yu L. Lei ◽

Biao Ren ◽

Xuedong Zhou

Keyword(s):

Candida Albicans ◽

Mucosal Immunity ◽

Cytokine Production ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Fungal Infections ◽

Immune Defense ◽

The Body ◽

Pathogen Invasion ◽

Mucosal Infection ◽

And Control

Mucosa protects the body against external pathogen invasion. However, pathogen colonies on the mucosa can invade the mucosa when the immunosurveillance is compromised, causing mucosal infection and subsequent diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to timely and effectively monitor and control pathogenic microorganisms through mucosal immunity. Candida albicans is the most prevalent fungi on the mucosa. The C. albicans colonies proliferate and increase their virulence, causing severe infectious diseases and even death, especially in immunocompromised patients. The normal host mucosal immune defense inhibits pathogenic C. albicans through stepwise processes, such as pathogen recognition, cytokine production, and immune cell phagocytosis. Herein, the current advances in the interactions between C. albicans and host mucosal immune defenses have been summarized to improve understanding on the immune mechanisms against fungal infections.

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A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) as a diagnostic biomarker of bacterial infection

10.26226/morressier.56d5ba2bd462b80296c96646 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Tamara Tesic

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Infection ◽

Diagnostic Biomarker

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Procalcitonin Testingreduce Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in Bacterial Infection

Asian Pacific Journal of Environment and Cancer ◽

10.31557/apjec.2019.2.1.1-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Attabak Toofani Milani ◽

Mahshid Mohammadian ◽

Sadegh Rostaminasab ◽

Roghayeh Paribananaem ◽

Zohre Ahmadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Therapy ◽

Bacterial Infection ◽

Diagnostic Test ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Intervention Studies ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Clinical Suspicion ◽

Diagnostic Biomarker ◽

Clinical Routine ◽

Initial Rise

Conventional diagnostic test have limitations to deferential diagnosis in clinical suspicion ofbacterial infection cases, that in some cases lead to inappropriate antibiotic therapy and increases antibiotic resistance. A new diagnostic insight is procalcitonin (PCT) test to improve diagnosis of bacterial infections and to guide antibiotic therapy. Serum PCT levels are of useful test as a biomarker in patients with bacterial infections for several reasons. Initial rise of PCT levels due to bacterial infection, subsequent sequential PCT levels can be used to assess the effectiveness and duration of antibiotic therapy. Based on clinical researches results, in bacterial infections, promising good results obtained when use of PCT used as differential diagnostic test. But further intervention studies are needed before use of PCT in clinical routine tests. The goal of this review is to study the PCT reliability as infections diagnostic biomarker.

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A Unique Case of Cutaneous Cunninghamella infection in an Immunocompromised Patient (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.22935 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mauricio Portillo ◽

Shyam Allamaneni ◽

Richard Goodman

Keyword(s):

Fungal Infections ◽

Immunocompromised Patient ◽

Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽

Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter ◽

Central Catheter ◽

Unique Case ◽

Systemic Complications ◽

Prompt Treatment ◽

Mode Of Transmission ◽

And Control

UNSTRUCTURED Cunninghamella species are an extremely rare cause of fungal infections. The usual mode of transmission is through inhalation however rare cases of cutaneous spread have been reported. The objective of this clinical case report is to highlight the uniqueness of which the patient acquired the infection, the progression, and control of it. A 57-year-old male with chronic lymphocytic leukemia was found to have an abscess next to his peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line. The abscess culture grew back Cunninghamella and was debrided and treated with a novel antifungal. The fungal infection was controlled and the total timeframe took 28 days. Rapid recognition and prompt treatment demonstrate the prevention of rapidly progressive angioinvasian and further systemic complications. This case also proves that a novel antifungal may be appropriate in controlling the spread of Cunninghamella species.

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Community-acquired and hospital-acquired respiratory tract infection and bloodstream infection in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia

Journal of Intensive Care ◽

10.1186/s40560-021-00526-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kirstine K. Søgaard ◽

Veronika Baettig ◽

Michael Osthoff ◽

Stephan Marsch ◽

Karoline Leuzinger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care ◽

Tract Infection ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infection ◽

Bloodstream Infection ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Fungal Infections ◽

Icu Patients ◽

Hospital Acquired Infections ◽

Hospital Acquired

Abstract Objectives SARS-CoV-2 may cause acute lung injury, and secondary infections are thus relevant complications in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. However, detailed information on community- and hospital-acquired infections among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia is scarce. Methods We identified 220 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients hospitalized at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland (between 25 February and 31 May 2020). We excluded patients who declined the general consent (n = 12), patients without clinical evidence of pneumonia (n = 29), and patients hospitalized for < 24 h (n = 17). We evaluated the frequency of community- and hospital-acquired infections using respiratory and blood culture materials with antigen, culture-based, and molecular diagnostics. For ICU patients, all clinical and microbial findings were re-evaluated interdisciplinary (intensive care, infectious disease, and clinical microbiology), and agreement reached to classify patients with infections. Results In the final cohort of 162 hospitalized patients (median age 64.4 years (IQR, 50.4–74.2); 61.1% male), 41 (25.3%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, 34/41 (82.9%) required mechanical ventilation, and 17 (10.5%) of all hospitalized patients died. In total, 31 infections were diagnosed including five viral co-infections, 24 bacterial infections, and three fungal infections (ventilator-associated pneumonia, n = 5; tracheobronchitis, n = 13; pneumonia, n = 1; and bloodstream infection, n = 6). Median time to respiratory tract infection was 12.5 days (IQR, 8–18) and time to bloodstream infection 14 days (IQR, 6–30). Hospital-acquired bacterial and fungal infections were more frequent among ICU patients than other patients (36.6% vs. 1.7%). Antibiotic or antifungal treatment was administered in 71 (43.8%) patients. Conclusions Community-acquired viral and bacterial infections were rare among COVID-19 pneumonia patients. By contrast, hospital-acquired bacterial or fungal infections were frequently complicating the course among ICU patients.

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RhoA Signaling in Immune Cell Response and Cardiac Disease

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10071681 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1681

Author(s):

Lucia Sophie Kilian ◽

Derk Frank ◽

Ashraf Yusuf Rangrez

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Disease ◽

Cell Response ◽

Cell Activation ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Heart Diseases ◽

Small Gtpase ◽

Cardiac Inflammation ◽

Immune Cell Activation ◽

Immune Cell Response

Chronic inflammation, the activation of immune cells and their cross-talk with cardiomyocytes in the pathogenesis and progression of heart diseases has long been overlooked. However, with the latest research developments, it is increasingly accepted that a vicious cycle exists where cardiomyocytes release cardiocrine signaling molecules that spiral down to immune cell activation and chronic state of low-level inflammation. For example, cardiocrine molecules released from injured or stressed cardiomyocytes can stimulate macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils and even T-cells, which then subsequently increase cardiac inflammation by co-stimulation and positive feedback loops. One of the key proteins involved in stress-mediated cardiomyocyte signal transduction is a small GTPase RhoA. Importantly, the regulation of RhoA activation is critical for effective immune cell response and is being considered as one of the potential therapeutic targets in many immune-cell-mediated inflammatory diseases. In this review we provide an update on the role of RhoA at the juncture of immune cell activation, inflammation and cardiac disease.

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