Pentraxin 3 as a novel diagnostic marker in neonatal sepsis

Abstract.
BACKGROUND: Neonatal sepsis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. As clinical manifestations of neonatal sepsis are nonspecific, early diagnosis and treatment remain a challenge. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an acute-phase protein secreted by various cells in response to the proinflammatory signals. Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic value of PTX3 in neonatal sepsis.
METHODS: We studied 90 neonates; 60 with culture-proven sepsis and 30 healthy neonates as a control group. Serum levels of PTX 3 were measured by ELISA.
RESULTS: Neonates with sepsis had significantly higher levels of PTX 3 as compared to controls (p < 0.001). Diagnostic cutoff value of PTX 3 was 5.6 μg/L with a sensitivity of 98.3% and a specificity of 96.7%. PTX 3 was significantly increased in nonsurvivors when compared to survivors (p < 0.001). PTX3 had better sensitivity when compared with CRP.
CONCLUSION: PTX 3 could be used as a new biomarker of neonatal sepsis with high sensitivity and specificity.