Procalcitonin and Presepsin in Gram-Negative Sepsis: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Antimicrobial Stewardship Perspectives
- 1Department of Microbiology, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Karad, IND
Abstract
Because delayed pathogen identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing might delay effective treatment, sepsis caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria continues to be a significant problem in intensive care units. The clinical usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) and presepsin as early indicators for Gram-negative sepsis diagnosis, disease severity prediction, treatment response monitoring, and antimicrobial stewardship is assessed in this review. While presepsin provides quick early identification and significant prognostic value, particularly in culture-negative sepsis, PCT is notably useful in distinguishing Gram-negative infections from Gram-positive or fungal etiologies. Before traditional culture findings are available, serial monitoring of both biomarkers may assist in detecting treatment failure, delayed biomarker clearance, and potential multidrug-resistant infections. Confounding variables like burns, trauma, renal failure, surgery, and sterile inflammation must be taken into account during interpretation, though. Rapid molecular diagnostics combined with PCT and presepsin may enhance early treatment choices, lower needless antibiotic exposure, and promote precision-based care for critically ill septic patients.
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BibTeX
@article{yadav2026procalcitonin,
title = {{Procalcitonin and Presepsin in Gram-Negative Sepsis: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Antimicrobial Stewardship Perspectives}},
author = {Bhaskar C Yadav and Harsha V Patil and Satish R Patil},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.117204},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720934},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Procalcitonin and Presepsin in Gram-Negative Sepsis: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Antimicrobial Stewardship Perspectives
AU - Bhaskar C Yadav
AU - Harsha V Patil
AU - Satish R Patil
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.117204
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720934
AB - Because delayed pathogen identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing might delay effective treatment, sepsis caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria continues to be a significant problem in intensive care units. The clinical usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) and presepsin as early indicators for Gram-negative sepsis diagnosis, disease severity prediction, treatment response monitoring, and antimicrobial stewardship is assessed in this review. While presepsin provides quick early identification and significant prognostic value, particularly in culture-negative sepsis, PCT is notably useful in distinguishing Gram-negative infections from Gram-positive or fungal etiologies. Before traditional culture findings are available, serial monitoring of both biomarkers may assist in detecting treatment failure, delayed biomarker clearance, and potential multidrug-resistant infections. Confounding variables like burns, trauma, renal failure, surgery, and sterile inflammation must be taken into account during interpretation, though. Rapid molecular diagnostics combined with PCT and presepsin may enhance early treatment choices, lower needless antibiotic exposure, and promote precision-based care for critically ill septic patients.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -