biomArkers to differeNtiate bacTerial From vIral iNfEctions

ANTOINE is a prospective trial which aims to assess diagnostic performance of 7 biomarkers for the diagnosis of severe bacterial infections (SBI) in children aged from 7 days to 36 months. Fever is a frequent cause of consultation in pediatric emergency departments. Clinical diagnostic tools are rare and discrimination between severe bacterial infection and viral infection is difficult to confidently state. The prevalence of severe bacterial infections (IBS) varies from 10 to 25% according to the studies. Biological markers such as procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are commonly used in clinical practice. These markers have bacterial specificity but share a wide range of values with viral infections and do not make it possible to exclude or to confirm definitively the diagnosis of IBS. The use of new markers to improve the diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections is increasingly studied in adults. The diagnostic value of these new markers has been demonstrated by associating their dosage with that of CRP for example. This is the case for IP-10, TRAIL or MxA. However, very few pediatric studies have been carried out to date on these new biomarkers. However, in pediatrics, these diagnostic tools based on the combination of biomarkers to discriminate against viral and bacterial infections could be a major help in the suspicions of IBS. 7 biomarkers were selected to be evaluated in this study. This study is designed to determine the best biomarkers combination for the SBI diagnosis on a cohort of 800 patients.