[Utilization of Biomarkers in Severe Infections]

Inflammatory biomarkers have been considered as a promising option to help diagnose infections, where uncertainty exists in the clinical or microbiological diagnostic approach. However, there is an inherent weakness in biomarkers, given the fact that infection is one, but not all, of the causes of inflammation. Clas- sical markers such as white blood cells or c-reactive proteins confer a low diagnostic accuracy. Procalcitonin or presepsin, relatively new markers, show better, but still imperfect overall sensitivity/specificity of -75- 80%, indicating that it is difficult to use any biomarkers as a sole diagnostic test of infection. Serial meas- urements of procalcitonin provide information regarding stopping antibiotics earlier, and could be utilized in the context of an antimicrobial stewardship program. Further research is necessary to investigate the pos- sibility of utilizing biomarkers in combination with other genetic diagnostic methods as rapid, point-of-care, tests. [Review].