Increased Serum Pocalcitonin Levels Are Not Specific to Sepsis in Neonates

Abstract

) Correspondence the blood and tissues following therapy with foscarnet supports the antiviral potency of this agent in a clinical setting.Serologies for HHV-8 are currently available in the research setting [4]. Once quantitative PCR results and standardized serologies become available in practice, we believe that it will be useful to screen high-risk patients for HHV-8 infection so that therapies that prevent the development and progression of KS may be instituted. We, furthermore, question whether cytotoxic chemotherapy will remain a mainstay of therapy. Prospective trials should clarify the optimal treatment modality for KS as well as the most useful agent against HHV-8 in vivo. In conclusion, and whatever the mechanism of synthesis, procal- Sepsis in Neonatescitonin serum values must be interpreted with caution in newborns. Although procalcitonin remains a promising marker for the diagno-SIR-We have been interested in the recent paper by Chiesa and sis of sepsis as described by Chiesa et al., high serum procalcitonin colleagues that demonstrated the usefulness of procalcitonin mealevels are clearly not necessarily indicative of bacterial infection surement for the diagnosis of early-and late-onset sepsis in neoin neonates. nates at risk for bacterial infection [1]. This work clearly confirms and extends our results reported in a previous study [2]. NevertheGuillaume Monneret, Jean Marc Labaune, Christian Isaac, less, we concluded in our article that false-positive results could Françoise Bienvenu, Guy Putet, and Jacques Bienvenu be observed in uninfected newborns with respiratory distress synNeonatal Intensive Care Unit and Immunology Laboratory, Hôpital drome (RDS). This has also been reported by Lapillonne et al.

Reference Intervals of Serum Procalcitonin Are Affected by Postnatal Age in Very Low Birth Weight Infants during the First 60 Days after Birth

“…As shown in table 1, the subjects might have different degrees of the severity of illness and the use of mechanical ventilation. The serum PCT level was reportedly increased in neonates with respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea, pneumothorax, and apneic syndrome without neonatal sepsis [21]. However, most of very premature infants experience inevitable pulmonary or hemodynamic events.…”

Toward Resolving the Challenges of Sepsis Diagnosis

“…However, differentiation between infectious and noninfectious inflammation showed dependence on patient age during sampling, with conflicting reports of peak sensitivity and specificity over the initial 48 h of life (23,24 ). As with contradictory findings in adult inflammation, increased PCT has been reported in uninfected neonates suffering from respiratory distress syndrome, indicating the potential for increases in response to noninfectious inflammation (98 ).…”

Predictability of biomarkers in diagnosis of neonatal sepsis: a cross sectional study

“…The effect of prolonged labor on procalcitonin levels could be due to perinatal asphyxia and hypoxia causing stress to the neonate during the labour. 11 In our study independent variables like low birth weight, gestational age <37 weeks, maternal urinary tract infections, meconium stained liquor affected the level of procalcitonin in asymptomatic neonates. However the findings were of no significance.…”