1. Calprotectin, a Promising Serological Biomarker for the Early Diagnosis of Superinfections with Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in Patients with COVID-19.
- Author
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Keller, Dennis, Mester, Patricia, Räth, Ulrich, Krautbauer, Sabrina, Schmid, Stephan, Greifenberg, Verena, Müller, Martina, Kunst, Claudia, Buechler, Christa, and Pavel, Vlad
- Subjects
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COVID-19 , *ENZYME-linked immunosorbent assay , *VIRUS diseases , *HERPES simplex virus , *CALPROTECTIN - Abstract
Bacterial and fungal superinfections are common in COVID-19, and early diagnosis can enable timely intervention. Serum calprotectin levels increase with bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. This study evaluated serum calprotectin as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for microbial superinfections in COVID-19. Serum samples from adult patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 were collected during hospitalization from 2020 to 2024. Calprotectin levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 63 patients with moderate COVID-19, 60 patients with severe COVID-19, and 34 healthy individuals. Calprotectin serum levels were elevated in patients with moderate COVID-19 compared with controls, and these levels were further increased in the severe cases. Patients with severe COVID-19 and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) bacteremia had elevated calprotectin levels, but their C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels were not increased. Fungal superinfections and herpes simplex virus reactivation did not change the calprotectin levels. A calprotectin concentration of 31.29 µg/mL can be used to diagnose VRE bloodstream infection with 60% sensitivity and 96% specificity. These data suggest that serum calprotectin may be a promising biomarker for the early detection of VRE bloodstream infections in patients with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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