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Detection and Quantification of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) in Human Plasma Using a Modified Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
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Procalcitonin--a marker of invasive fungal infection?

H J Dornbusch1, V Strenger, R Kerbl

  • 1Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria. hansjuergen.dornbusch@meduni-graz.at

Supportive Care in Cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
|January 20, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Procalcitonin (PCT) shows low sensitivity for diagnosing invasive fungal infections (IFI). This biomarker is not a reliable indicator for detecting candidiasis or aspergillosis.

Area of Science:

  • Medical diagnostics
  • Infectious diseases
  • Biomarker research

Background:

  • Procalcitonin (PCT) is recognized as a biomarker for bacterial sepsis.
  • Its diagnostic utility in invasive fungal infections (IFI) remains largely unexplored.
  • This study investigates PCT's role in diagnosing IFI.

Observation:

  • The study analyzed 55 episodes of proven or probable IFI.
  • PCT levels were evaluated in the early phase of infection.
  • Data included three new cases and 52 from existing literature.

Findings:

  • PCT sensitivity was low for invasive candidiasis, detected in less than 50% of cases.
  • Only one patient (5.3%) with invasive aspergillosis showed elevated PCT.
  • PCT demonstrated low sensitivity and specificity for IFI diagnosis.

Implications:

  • Procalcitonin has limited value in diagnosing invasive fungal infections.
  • Current diagnostic strategies for IFI should not rely on PCT.
  • Further research may be needed to identify reliable fungal infection biomarkers.

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