Diagnostic value of maternal, cord blood and neonatal biomarkers for early-onset sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: An accurate diagnosis of early-onset sepsis (EOS) is challenging because of subtle symptoms and the lack of a good diagnostic tool, resulting in considerable antibiotic overtreatment. A biomarker, discriminating between infected and non-infected newborns at an early stage of the disease, could improve EOS prediction. Numerous biomarkers have been tested, but have never been compared directly.