Evaluation of serum procalcitonin levels for diagnosis of secondary bacterial infections in visceral leishmaniasis patients.

Secondary bacterial infections are a major complication and cause of death in children with visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). Thus, early diagnosis of bacterial infections is an important step in the treatment of patients with VL. The goal of this study was to determine if serum procalcitonin (PCT) could be used as a diagnostic marker of secondary bacterial infections in VL patients. Serum PCT was measured in 35 hospitalized patients with VL before treatment and after defervescence. The level was higher than normal (> 0.5 ng/mL) in 72% (25) of the patients. Twelve (34%) of 35 patients had secondary bacterial infections with PCT levels ranging from 0.1 to 12.29 ng/mL, and those without secondary bacterial infections (23) had PCT levels ranging from 0.1 to 14.58 ng/mL. The results suggest that PCT levels increase significantly in most VL patients but are not correlated with the presence of secondary bacterial infections.