Defining age-specific reference intervals for biomarkers distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in paediatrics

Differentiating bacterial from viral infections in children is a common clinical challenge. Novel host immune biomarkers have the potential to aid thediagnosis of infection aetiology and identify children who require antibiotics. Data on novel infection biomarkers gender and age-specific correlations, and reference intervals in healthy paediatrics is lacking. This study reports the plasma levels of three novel biomarkers that can aid in the differentiation of bacterial and viral infection in a healthy group of paediatrics. The levels of (Interferon-Gamma Inducible Protein 10 kDa (IP-10), Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) and TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) were quantified in 199 plasma samples from healthy paediatrics aged 2 to 16 years old from across the UK. Reference intervals (2.5th and 97.5th) were determined, and biomarker levels were examined for sex and age associations. Reference intervals for IP-10, LCN2 and TRAIL for ages 2–16 years were 36.7–168.1 pg/ml, 14.2–123.3 ng/ml, 57.4–71.4 pg/ml respectively. No biomarker showed an association with sex and IP-10 did not show any association with age. TRAIL levels had a weak continuous negative correlation with age and LCN2 levels had a continuous positive correlation with age. Specific cut-offs for LCN2 in two age categories were identified, while TRAIL did not require age partitions. This study provides age-appropriate reference intervals for three biomarkers of infection in healthy children. These findings have the potential to improve the impact of future research on these biomarkers, the accuracy of clinical decision-making in children with infection, paediatric patient care and outcomes, and antimicrobial stewardship.