Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Aim: The aim of the present study to evaluate the role of CRP for diagnosis of neonatal septicaemia. Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology. 80 neonates with suspected sepsis or those coming to hospital with signs and symptoms of sepsis up to 28 days of life were included in the study. The colonies grown on blood agar and MacConkey agar were identified by conventional methods according to the standard laboratory protocol, including colony morphology, Gram staining and biochemical reactions. CRP estimation was done by Latex Agglutination Card test. CRP was reported as positive if agglutination particles were detected and negative if no particles were seen. Samples positive for CRP were further subjected to CRP estimation using Automated Clinical Chemistry Analyser. Results: In present study, the sensitivity and specificity of CRP against blood culture was 85.98% and 45.63% respectively. The positive and negative predictive value was 55.89% and 75.77% respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of CRP against blood culture in detecting neonatal septicaemia was 62.73%. Conclusion: The specificity and sensitivity of CRP against blood culture strengthen the use of this acute phase protein in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis