New Method To Diagnose Bacterial Infection to Preterm Infants Found By Japanese Researchers

Preterm infants are susceptible to bacterial infection as their immune system is not fully developed. However, researchers in Tokyo found a new method that could lead to early diagnosis to save the infants to the possible effects of the infection.

According to NDTV, the risk of fatality or negative impact on future growth and development is higher in infants who suffer bacterial infection. Bacterial infection visible to adults and other infants is also harder to detect from preterm infants.

The researchers focused on studying the serum concentrations of procalcitonin (PCT). It is a marker used for the early diagnosis of bacterial infection on children and adults.

"We could also potentially use this method to limit unnecessary use of antibacterial agents," said lead researcher Morioka Ichiro, a professor at Kobe University in Japan.

The researchers have examined 1,267 serums from 283 newborns from the neonatal intensive care unit in Kobe University Hospital in Japan between June and December 2014.

The study showed that the PTC level of full-term infants temporarily increased a day after birth and returns to the normal level for adults in five days (0.1ng/mL). The PTC level of preterm infants, however, took nine days after birth to return to normal level.

The team plotted two reference curves based on these results: 50th percentile and 90th percentile values. After superimposing three cases of preterm infants with bacterial infection on the said curves, it showed that the serum PCT concentrations were above 95th percentile values in all three cases, News Medical reported.

The use of this new method to detect to detect the bacterial infection in preterm infants could help improve their prognosis.

Bacterial infection may affect almost any part of the preterm infant's body. Common sites involve the blood, skin, kidneys, lungs, bladder, intestines, the lining of the brain and spinal cord.