Table 2 Important characteristics of biomarkers for clinical use in acute infections (from[3])
Criteria for use | Characteristics |
|---|---|
Diagnostic test | General: known preanalytic and analytic (accuracy, reproducibility) as well as physiological (intra and interindividual) variability, integrated in the interpretation of assay results |
High predictive values | |
Ability to differentiate sepsis and noninfectious SIRS (specificity) | |
Ability to differentiate acute viral from bacterial infection | |
Prognostic test | Early detection of patients at risk of a complicated course |
Levels associated with the inflammatory response (i.e., correlated to the severity of presentation and/or to organ dysfunctions) | |
Predictor of mortality | |
Therapeutic test | Follow-up of the efficacy of a therapy (e.g., rapid kinetics, independent of organ dysfunction) |
Accessibility | Routinely available |
Good acceptability to patients (i.e., noninvasive) | |
Rapid turnaround time | |
Easily interpreted | |
Low cost |