Popis: |
Objective: To determinate if lactoferrin (LF) could be optimal biomarker; the LF levels in plasma were compared between neonates with or without early-onset neonatal sepsis (EOS). Methods: From January to December of 2019 we conducted an analytic cross-sectional study, eighty-nine patients were collected: 34 newborns with EOS and 55 newborns without EOS from neonatology unit from a tertiary care hospital. The diagnosis was made with clinical parameters and sepsis biomarkers. Plasma concentrations of LF were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results: The LF median was 3.7ng/ml to the newborn group with EOS while 44.8ng/ml was to newborn without EOS (p: 0.000). The best LF cut-off point in newborns with EOS was 20.55ng/ml, with sensitivity of 73.5%, specificity 92.7%, positive predictive value 86.2%, and negative predictive value 85%, positive likelihood ratio 10.11, and negative likelihood ratio 0.28. Conclusions: These findings indicate that levels of LF in plasma could be an effective and useful biomarker to diagnose of EOS. |