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Diagnostic Reliability of Salivary C-Reactive Protein as an Alternative Noninvasive Biomarker of Neonatal Sepsis

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Abstract

Objective

To assess if salivary C-reactive protein (CRP) can be detected in neonatal sepsis and correlate the levels of salivary and serum CRP.

Methods

This analytical cross-sectional study included all neonates ≤28 days of life with suspected sepsis or with perinatal risk factors for sepsis. Saliva was collected using an absorbent swab and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, along with serum CRP.

Results

Salivary CRP was detectable in 135 subjects (99%). An increase was seen in median (IQR) levels from 0.25 (0.13,0.3) ng/mL in clinical sepsis group to 0.6 (0.3,1.4) ng/mL in screen positive/blood culture negative group, and to 1.98 (0.54, 2.95) ng/mL in blood culture positive group. There was a moderate positive correlation between salivary and serum CRP (r=0.63, P value 0.01). On receiver-operator characteristics curve, the area under the curve of salivary CRP for predicting serum CRP ≥10 mg/L was 0.861 (95% CI, 0.78 to 0.94; P < 0.001), with the optimal salivary CRP cut-off being 0.6 ng/mL.

Conclusion

Salivary CRP could be used as an alternative biomarker of neonatal sepsis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neonatology, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Health City, 603 103, Rajiv Gandhi IT highway, Kelambakkam, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India

    Satish Datla, Srinivasan Kitchanan & Giridhar Sethuraman

Authors
  1. Satish Datla
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  2. Srinivasan Kitchanan
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  3. Giridhar Sethuraman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giridhar Sethuraman.

Additional information

Ethics clearance

Chettinad Academy of Research and Education Institutional Human Ethics Committee; No. 121/25/09/2015, dated September 04, 2015.

Contributors

SD: conducted the study experiments, performed data collection and analysis; and wrote the final manuscript; SK: contributed to statistical analysis and critical evaluation of the final manuscript; GS: conceived and supervised the study, verified the statistical analysis, contributed to the critical evaluation of the final manuscript approved the final version of the manuscript.

Funding

None

Competing interests

None stated.

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Datla, S., Kitchanan, S. & Sethuraman, G. Diagnostic Reliability of Salivary C-Reactive Protein as an Alternative Noninvasive Biomarker of Neonatal Sepsis. Indian Pediatr 58, 745–748 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-021-2284-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-021-2284-5

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