CD11b, E-Selectin and PCR versus conventional blood culture for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Early onset bacterial sepsis is a feared complication of the newborn. A large proportion of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit [NICU] for suspected sepsis receive treatment with potent systemic antibiotics while a diagnostic workup is in progress. The gold standard for detecting bacterial sepsis is blood culture. However, the sensitivity of blood culture is suspected to be low. Therefore, the diagnosis of sepsis is often based on the development of clinical signs, in combination with laboratory tests. Immunological assays of CD11b expression on peripheral blood neutrophil and serum E-selectin and molecular assays for the detection of bacterial DNA in the blood represent possible new diagnostic tools for early and rapid diagnosis of neonatal sepsis