Evaluation of novel urinary tract infection biomarkers in children.

Abstract

BackgroundPediatricians frequently use urinalysis to diagnose urinary tract infection (UTI) while awaiting urine culture results, but sensitivity and specificity of urinalysis are limited. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the antimicrobial peptides human α-defensin 5 (HD5) and human neutrophil peptides (HNP) 1-3 as novel UTI biomarkers in children.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 199 pediatric Emergency Department or Urgent Care patients evaluated for a UTI. Urine concentrations of HD5 and HNP1-3 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Urine culture was the reference standard. Sensitivities and specificities of leukocyte esterase (LE), HD5, HNP1-3, and test combinations were compared.ResultsFor predicting positive urine culture, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for HD5 and HNP1-3 were 0.86 (95% CI, 0.81-0.92) and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.82-0.93), respectively. Compared to LE ≥ trace, the combination test “LE and HD5” increased specificity by 6% (95% CI, 3%-10%) without decreasing sensitivity. In the subgroup whose urine was collected by a clean-catch method, combination tests “LE and HD5” and “HD5 and HNP1-3” increased specificity by > 10% compared to LE alone.ConclusionUrine antimicrobial peptide profiles are a promising novel strategy as an adjunct to urinalysis to aid UTI diagnosis in children.