SynthesisBMJ paediatrics open2023
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic value of four biomarkers in detecting neonatal sepsis in low- and middle-income countries.
Synthesis in BMJ paediatrics open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Role of complete blood count in the diagnosis of culture-proven neonatal sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of disease in childhood · 2025Pooled it
- Factors Associated with Antibiotic Initiation After DaBT-Hib-IPV Vaccination in NICU-Hospitalized Preterm Infants: The Role of C-Reactive Protein.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Is the Neonatal Sepsis Screen More Futile Than Useful in Clinical Practice? Yes.Indian pediatrics · 2026Article
- Global burden, projections, and causal factors of maternal sepsis and other maternal infections: A comprehensive epidemiological and mendelian randomization study.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Challenges in early detection and prognostication of sepsis: new approaches from the emergency department and intensive care unit.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Review
- Neonatal sepsis: any role for procalcitonin as a diagnostic marker?BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Course of Acute-Phase Reactants in the Postoperative Period of Newborns and Their Diagnostic Utility in Identifying Postoperative Sepsis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Evaluation of procalcitonin as a marker of bacterial sepsis in children in Owerri, Nigeria.African health sciences · 2025Article
- C-reactive Protein Versus Procalcitonin in the Early Diagnosis of Neonatal Sepsis: A Systematic Review.Cureus · 2025Review
- Clinical Yield of Acute Inflammatory Markers in the Pediatric Emergency Department.Clinical pediatrics · 2025Article
- Incidence and outcomes of neonatal group B streptococcal sepsis in Qatar-a multicentre study.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Sensitivity of miRNA-181a, miRNA-23b and miRNA-16 in the Late-Onset Neonatal Sepsis: A Diagnostic Study.Maternal-fetal medicine (Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.) · 2024Article
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate as a Monitoring Marker in the Canine Intensive Care Unit.Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBiomarkers may enhance diagnostic capability for common paediatric infections, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where standard diagnostic modalities are frequently unavailable, but disease burden is high. A comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic capability of commonly available biomarkers for neonatal sepsis in LMICs is lacking. Our objective was to systematically review evidence on biomarkers to understand their diagnostic performance for neonatal sepsis in LMICs.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and Arabic reporting the diagnostic performance of C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell count (WBC) and procalcitonin (PCT) for neonatal sepsis. We calculated pooled test characteristics and the area under the curve (AUC) for each biomarker compared with the reference standards blood culture or clinical sepsis defined by each article.
resultsOf 6570 studies related to biomarkers in children, 134 met inclusion criteria and included 23 179 neonates. There were 80 (59.7%) studies conducted in LMICs. CRP of ≥60 mg/L (AUC 0.87, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.91) among 1339 neonates and PCT of ≥0.5 ng/mL (AUC 0.87, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.92) among 617 neonates demonstrated the greatest discriminatory value for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis using blood culture as the reference standard in LMICs.
conclusionsPCT and CRP had good discriminatory value for neonatal sepsis in LMICs. ESR and WBC demonstrated poor discrimination for neonatal sepsis in LMICs. Future studies may incorporate biomarkers into clinical evaluation in LMICs to diagnose neonatal sepsis more accurately. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020188680.
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