Detection of serum human neutrophil lipocalin is an effective biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of children with bacterial infection

Abstract

Background: The study aimed to investigate the diagnostic efficiency of human neutrophil lipocalin (HNL) in bacterial infections in children.

Methods: This study included 49 pediatric patients with bacterial infections, 37 patients with viral infections, 30 patients with autoimmune diseases (AID) and 41 healthy controls (HCs). HNL, procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts were detected in the initial diagnosis and the following days.

Results: In the patients with bacterial infections, the levels of HNL, PCT, CRP, WBC and neutrophils were significantly increased than that of disease controls and HCs. The dynamic of these markers was monitored during antibiotic treatment. The level of HNL was decreased rapidly in patients with effective treatment, but maintained at high levels in deteriorated patients according to the clinical progression.

Conclusions: HNL detection is an effective biomarker to identify bacterial infections from viral infections and other AIDs, and has potential value to evaluate the effect of antibiotic treatment in pediatric patients.

Keywords: Bacterial infections; CRP; HNL; Neutrophils; PCT; WBC.