Serum procalcitonin for discrimination of blood contamination from bloodstream infection due to coagulase-negative staphylococci

The diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) to distinguish blood contamination from bloodstream infection (BSI) due to coagulase-negative staphylococci was evaluated. Patients with BSI had higher PCT concentration than those with blood contamination at day -1, day 0 and day +1 with regard to blood culture collection (p > 0.05), whereas serum C-reactive protein values were significantly higher only on day +1. At a cutoff of 0.1 ng/dl, PCT had a sensitivity of 86% and 100%, and a specificity of 60% and 80% for the diagnosis of BSI on day -1 and 0, respectively. In addition to clinical and microbiological parameters, PCT may help discriminating blood contamination from BSI due coagulase-negative staphylococci.