• Mario Motta, Alice Zini, Antonio Regazzoli, Elena Garzoli, Gaetano Chirico, Luigi Caimi, and Marinella Calarco.
• From the Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Children's Hospital of Brescia , Brescia , Italy.
• Scand. J. Infect. Dis. 2014 Jun 1; 46 (6): 433-9.

ObjectiveTo assess the diagnostic and prognostic utility of CD64 expression as a marker of early-onset sepsis (EOS) in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates.MethodsNeutrophil CD64 expression (CD64 index) was assessed in 129 VLBW neonates within 72 h after birth. The accuracy of the CD64 index in predicting EOS was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The relationship between the expression of the CD64 index and neonatal outcomes was evaluated by multivariate analysis.ResultsThe highest performance of the CD64 index was achieved at 24 h after birth; accuracy, sensitivity, and negative predictive values were 0.85, 0.89, and 0.99, respectively, with a cut-off value of 2.4. The increased expression of CD64 index was significantly associated with subsequent infections (relative risk 1.54; 95% confidence interval 1.02-2.33).ConclusionsThe CD64 index could be used as a reliable marker of EOS in VLBW neonates and it is an independent risk factor for late-onset infections.

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