Usefulness of Procalcitonin in Neonates at Risk for Infection

We are very interested in the report by Sachse et al. (1) on procalcitonin (PCT) variations in the neonatal period. This report confirms and extends previous work on the daily variations of PCT during the first days of life in noninfected newborn infants (2)(3). We agree that PCT could be a useful marker for the presence, course, and prognosis of bacterial infection, particularly in newborns hospitalized with a risk factor for infection (such as an increase in the mother’s body temperature during delivery, premature rupture of membranes, vaginal colonization by group B streptococcus, and other factors). …