The biomarker human neutrophil lipocalin HNL was previously shown to be a useful indicator of bacterial infections. Now, the dimeric form of HNL may also be used to effectively monitor the success of antibiotic treatment in sepsis. The first promising results in this regard were published in 2019, and now the research group has confirmed these results in a larger study.
The new study is published in the journal PLOS ONE . Sepsis, the costliest disease to health care, is a life-threatening condition with high mortality if not diagnosed and treated early and effectively. Mostly the cause is a bacterial infection .
Thus, early and effective antibiotic treatment is lifesaving. The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics increases the likelihood of an effective treatment but may also add to the development of antibiotic resistance. The 2013 World Economic Forum classified antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest threats to global health.
1.27 million deaths were caused directly by antimicrobial resistance in 2019 and 13.66 million had sepsis as an immediate or intermediate cause of death.
In the new study, the scientists wanted to investigate if the use of HNL Dimer as a blood biomarker would be useful in the monitoring of antibiotic treatment of patients with sepsis and provide more reliable and faster response than the currently used biomarkers. The investigation was conducted on 277 patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Blood was drawn at admission and the next three conse.