Early diagnostic markers for neonatal sepsis:comparing procalcitonin and c-reactive protein with the gold standard culture method.

Isolation of the causative microorganisms by using blood culture has been the golden standard method for its diagnosis, the result is ready only after 72 hrs after the sampling and during this period, it is necessary to treat the suspicious infants for sepsis with antibiotics on the basis of the clinical symptoms and the risk factors. Early identification of bacterial infections by Quantitative procalcitonin estimation in neonatal sepsis cases and appropriate antibiotic therapy will reduce the morbidity and mortality Infants who are suspected to have neonatal sepsis may lead to unnecessary admission and increased antibiotic consumption, a higher incidence of the side effects due to their use, increased resistance to the antibiotics, a long hospitalization, the separation of the infants from their mothers and increased health costs. The findings of the present study confirm that serum levels of PCT was a more reliable marker than the serum levels of CRP and WBC counts in the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis and in the evaluation of the response of the disease to the antibiotic therapy