Background: Procalcitonin is an established biomarker for bacterial sepsis in the nonpregnant population with better diagnostic and prognostic value for bacterial infections.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether procalcitonin levels could be used in the diagnosis and management of intrapartum sepsis in women and their neonates suspected of intrapartum bacterial sepsis.

Study Design: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted at the University Hospitals of Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. Overall, 117 women and their neonates managed for suspected intrapartum sepsis from June 2020 to October 2020 were included. Procalcitonin levels were measured in addition to routine biomarkers white cell count and C-reactive protein in women and their neonates during the initial septic screen and follow-up blood samples. The placentas underwent detailed histopathology. Maternal and neonatal parameters were used to categorize cases into "high-suspicion bacterial sepsis," "equivocal bacterial sepsis," and "low-suspicion bacterial sepsis." The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare categories with biomarker values and placental histology scores.

Results: Procalcitonin level was increased in 6 women in the initial septic screen sample, compared with 100 women with an increased C-reactive protein level. There was a significant difference in maternal postnatal procalcitonin results between "high-suspicion bacterial sepsis" and "low-suspicion bacterial sepsis" categories (=.004). Moreover, 71.2% of placentas showed varying degrees of chorioamnionitis.

Conclusion: In our cohort of women, 94.6% had normal procalcitonin levels while in labor at the time of the septic screen, consistent with the low number of confirmed bacteremia. The result provided a basis that procalcitonin may complement clinical judgment and interpretation of already used prognostic and diagnostic tests, improving patient care in the management of intrapartum sepsis.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9563784PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.xagr.2022.100064DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

bacterial sepsis"
20
procalcitonin levels
16
management intrapartum
12
intrapartum sepsis
12
women neonates
12
septic screen
12
bacterial
9
biomarker bacterial
8
bacterial sepsis
8
suspected intrapartum
8

Similar Publications

Septicemic omphalophlebitis by Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus in a southern right whale calf (Eubalaena australis).

Vet Res Commun

January 2025

Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) are mysticete cetaceans commonly observed in the coastal waters of Brazil, particularly in Santa Catarina State. There is limited understanding of the causes of calf mortality in this species, particularly concerning infectious diseases. We report a case of omphalophlebitis caused by Streptococcus equi subsp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bacterial indole-3-propionic acid inhibits macrophage IL-1β production through targeting methionine metabolism.

Sci China Life Sci

January 2025

State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.

The gut microbiota plays key roles in host health by shaping the host immune responses through their metabolites, like indole derivatives from tryptophan. However, the direct role of these indole derivatives in macrophage fate decision and the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we found that bacterial indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) downregulates interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) production in M1 macrophages through inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bacteremia, a leading cause of death, generally arises after bacteria establish infection in a particular tissue and transit to secondary sites. Studying dissemination from primary sites by solely measuring bacterial burdens does not capture the movement of individual clones. By barcoding Klebsiella pneumoniae, a leading cause of bacteremia, we track pathogen dissemination following pneumonia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Neutropenic enterocolitis is a serious gastrointestinal complication that can develop in patients undergoing chemotherapy or other immunosuppressive treatments. It is characterized by inflammation and necrosis of the bowel, and most commonly affects the cecum and ascending colon. Although individual case reports have described the features of NE, a comprehensive synthesis of all the published cases is required.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: is a formidable pathogen that poses a significant threat to immunocompromised and might cause rare atypical forms of the disease especially complicated with coinfection.

Case: We present a case of a patient with meningoencephalitis, endocarditis, sepsis, and osteomyelitis, highlighting the complexities of managing disseminated polymicrobial infection. A 64-year-old female with multiple myeloma treated with chemotherapy presented with fever, altered mental status, nausea, and diarrhea to the emergency department.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!