Clin Lab
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Comparative Study Observational Study
The Diagnostic Value of Procalcitonin Versus Other Biomarkers in Prediction of Bloodstream Infection.
We compared the diagnostic utility of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and hematological markers, including white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophils (NEU), percentage of neutrophils (NEU%), lymphocytes (LYM), neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio (NLCR), and platelet count (PLT) for predicting bloodstream infection (BSI), which was confirmed by blood culture (BC). ⋯ PCT proved to be the most reliable predictor of BSI, second were NEU% and NLCR. A higher PCT level was found in patients with a gram-negative BSI compared to gram-positive BSI and fungal BSI.
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Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a known pathogen associated with diarrhea especially in hospital acquired diarrhea. Yet, it is being recognized as a probable etiology for community acquired diarrhea. The aim of the present study was to detect the presence of C. difficile as a pathogen causing community acquired diarrhea in children and to verify the value of different laboratory methods for diagnosis, namely specific culture, immunoassay for toxin detection, and nested polymerase chain reaction (nested-PCR). ⋯ From this study, we can conclude that community acquired diarrhea due to C. difficile is common among children. It should be sought among the pathogens causing this infection. Rapid laboratory detection of toxin A by a rapid chromatography device is accurate compared to time consuming culture. Moreover, nested PCR for toxin B is an accurate and rapid method when it is available.