{
  "abstract": "Background: Kingella kingae is a primary cause of pediatric osteoarticular infections. Diagnosis is challenging due to mild clinical presentations and fastidious culture growth, often mimicking viral illnesses. The MeMed BV™ assay measures C-reactive protein (CRP), interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) to differentiate bacterial from viral infections, but its utility in K. kingae has not been evaluated. Objectives: To characterize the CRP, IP-10, and TRAIL profiles in pediatric patients with confirmed K. kingae infections compared to viral and classical bacterial cohorts. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 19 children with microbiologically confirmed K. kingae. Controls included viral (n = 20), pneumococcal (n = 17) and Gram-negative (n = 7) cohorts. Serum concentrations of the three host-response proteins were compared. Results: The median age of the K. kingae cohort was 11.0 months (IQR, 9.0–12.0 months). Compared to viral controls, K. kingae elicited significantly lower IP-10 levels (median: 100.0 pg/mL [IQR, <100.0–399.0] vs. 632.5 pg/mL [IQR, 346.3–1375.8]; p = 0.004) and a downward trend in TRAIL levels (median: 75.0 pg/mL [IQR, 66.0–95.0] vs. 169.5 pg/mL [IQR, 76.5–205.0]; p = 0.066), aligning with a bacterial profile. Conversely, K. kingae induced significantly lower inflammatory and host-response markers than typical bacterial infections; its median CRP (18.8 mg/L [IQR, 10.0–50.0]) and MeMed BV™ score (28 [IQR, 11–61]) were markedly lower than those observed in the pneumococcal cohort (CRP: 94.0 mg/L [IQR, 39.5–182.5]; MeMed BV: 89 [IQR, 51–98.5]) and the alternative bacterial cohort (CRP: 106.0 mg/L [IQR, 32.0–250.0]; MeMed BV: 73.0 [IQR, 67.0–99.0]). Conclusions: Kingella kingae infections elicit a distinct host-response fingerprint characterized by mild CRP elevation, leukocytosis, and uniquely suppressed IP-10 levels. Utilizing this three-protein signature may help distinguish K. kingae from viral mimics, preventing diagnostic delays and optimizing antibiotic stewardship.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Pediatrics, , Hadera 3820302, Israel",
    "Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel; (D.M.);"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vered Nir"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dima Mreisat"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vered Schichter Konfino"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Naama Kuchinski Cohen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Maanit Shapira"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Milena Pitashny"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Adi Klein"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dpwpra3kxb1r2.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/pediatric18050133",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13708610/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "dpwpra3kxb1r2",
  "issns": [
    "2036-749X",
    "2036-7503"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13708610",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "R"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "RJ1-570"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2404|Bacterial Infections and Vaccines"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215818357",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13708610/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13708610",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dpwpra3kxb1r2.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:40Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13708610",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13708610"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T14:21:34Z",
      "native_id": "062175908a53423fb85ac33227edca9e",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric18050133"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2404|Bacterial Infections and Vaccines",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Characterizing the Novel CRP, IP-10, and TRAIL Host-Response Protein Signature in Pediatric Kingella kingae Infections—A Retrospective Cohort Study",
  "title_text": "Characterizing the Novel CRP, IP-10, and TRAIL Host-Response Protein Signature in Pediatric Kingella kingae Infections—A Retrospective Cohort Study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T14:21:34Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dpwpra3kxb1r2",
  "venue": "Pediatric reports",
  "versions": []
}