The commercial test, SeptiFast, is designed to detect DNA from bacterial and fungal pathogens in whole blood. The method has been found to be specific with a high rule-in value for the early detection of septic patients.
In the case of positive results, the software automatically provides information about the identified pathogen, without quantification of the pathogen. However, it is possible to manually derive Crossing point (Cp) values, i.e.
the PCR cycle at which DNA is significantly amplified. The aim of this study was to find out whether Cp values correlate to disease severity.
Methods:
We used a study cohort of patients with positive results from SeptiFast tests for bacteria (coagulase-negative staphylococci excluded) from a recent study which included patients with suspected sepsis in the Emergency department.
Cp values were compared with disease severity, classified as severe sepsis/septic shock or non-severe sepsis, according to the criteria of the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Results:
Ninety-four patients with a median age of 74 years (range 14-96 years) were included. The prevalence of severe sepsis/septic shock in the study was 29% (27/94).
SeptiFast positive blood samples from patients with severe sepsis/septic shock had significantly lower Cp median values compared with those from patients with non-severe sepsis, i.e. 16.9 (range: 7.3 – 24.3) versus 20.9 (range: 8.5 – 25.0), p
Positive predictive values from the SeptiFast test for identifying severe sepsis/septic shock were 34% at SeptiFast Cp cut-off 17.5.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that introducing quantitative data to the SeptiFast test could be of value in assessing sepsis severity.
Moreover, such data might also be useful in predicting a positive BC result.
Author: Ingrid ZieglerPer JosefsonPer OlcénPaula MöllingKristoffer Strålin
Credits/Source: BMC Infectious Diseases 2014, 14:155
Published on: 2014-03-21
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