Infection markers in clinical applications I: Procalcitonin (PCT)
Respiratory tract infection, digestive tract infection, trauma and postoperative infection are common, but their complications and related potential risks cannot be ignored in clinical practice. In recent years, with the increasing research, the application of infection markers to auxiliary diagnosis infection has attached more and more attentions, such as procalcitonin (PCT), C reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), white blood cells (WBC), etc. Today, we are going to share something about PCT.
What is PCT?
PCT is a 116-amino acid residue that was first explained by Le Moullec et al. in 1984; however, its diagnostic significance was not recognized until 1993. In 1993, Assicot et al. demonstrated a positive correlation between high serum levels of PCT and patients with positive findings for bacterial infection and sepsis (eg, positive blood cultures). Further, they demonstrated that PCT did not elevate in viral infections and that serum levels of PCT would decrease following administration of appropriate antibiotic therapies.
Under normal homeostasis, pre-procalcitonin undergoes initial synthesis by thyroid C cells. However, when the body was infected by bacteria, the extra-thyroid synthesis of PCT has been found to occur in the liver, pancreas, kidney, lung, intestine and within leukocytes.
How to use PCT during clinical practice?
PCT can be used to dynamic monitoring of disease and guiding the proper application of antibiotics.
The level of PCT is closely related to the severity of respiratory diseases. By far, there is a large number of medical evidence confirming that PCT can safely and effectively monitor the application of antibiotics. The Expert Consensus on the Clinical Application of Serum Procalcitonin Detection in Pediatric Infectious Diseases issued in 2019 provides suggestions on the clinical application of PCT in pediatric in detail.
What you can get from Wiz Biotech?
Wiz Biotech has 8 products in infection disease. The Diagnostic Kit for Procalcitonin (Fluorescence Immunochromatographic Assay) is one of products in inflammation lines.
