RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Comparison of generic bacterial molecular detection (16S rRNA) with C-reactive protein and blood culture in the diagnosis of late-onset sepsis preterm infants
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood
JO Arch Dis Child
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP A87
OP A88
DO 10.1136/adc.2010.186338.193
VO 95
IS Suppl 1
A1 J Davis
A1 D Fairley
A1 A McCarthy
A1 P Coyle
A1 S Christie
A1 M Shields
A1 R Tubman
YR 2010
UL http://adc.bmj.com/content/95/Suppl_1/A87.2.abstract
AB Background Preterm infants are at great risk of bloodstream infection while receiving intensive care. The incidence of late-onset bloodstream infection varies between 10–60%. Diagnosis is currently made with a combination of clinical signs and laboratory investigations. The use of new molecular methods to improve diagnosis in a range of infections has been reported in other age groups.Objective To compare a molecular 16S rRNA assay to conventional laboratory methods (C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood culture) in the diagnosis of late-onset sepsis in preterm babies.Methods A single-centre, prospective observational study was conducted. All babies with suspicion of late-onset sepsis were included. Blood for the 16S rRNA assay was taken along with routine investigations for sepsis (blood culture, CRP). The decision to label a baby as being “septic” was based on clinical data and the assessment by a national nosocomial infection scoring system. Sepsis status was then compared to results of blood culture, CRP and the 16S rRNA assay. Diagnostic odds ratio, sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood and negative likelihood ratios were calculated. View this table:Abstract G177 Table 1 Results Conclusion This assay, which enables generic detection of bacteria without reliance on culture, has superior sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of late-onset infection than conventional laboratory methods. These results indicate that molecular methods should have a place in the diagnosis of late-onset sepsis in preterm babies. Further study is required to determine the extent to which these methods could be utilised.