Significance of simultaneous detection of serum immunoglobin M and C-reactive protein in the early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection

Objective To evaluate the clinical significance of simultaneous detection of serum immunoglobin M (IgM) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection during the early stage. Methods Nephelometry was used to detect the levels of serum IgM and CRP in 50 neonates with bacterial infection (infection group), 25 normal full term neonates (control group) and 36 neonates with non-infective diseases (non-infection group). Results The serum level of IgM and CRP in infection group was 0.44 ± 0.21 g/L and 45.19 ± 25.79 mg/L , respectively, which were much higher than those in control group ( 0.21 ± 0.07 g/L and 1.00 ± 0.30 mg/L , respectively). The serum IgM value in non-infection group was 0.19 ± 0.02 g/L , no significant difference was found between control and non-infection group (P 0.05 ), there was significant difference between non-infection and infection group (P 0.005 ). The serum level of CRP in non-infection group was 39.09 ± 18.37 mg/L , significant difference was found between control and non-infection group (P 0.005 ), no significant difference was found between infection and non-infection group (P 0.05 ). Conclusion The combined assay of serum IgM and CRP is valuable for the early diagnosis of bacterial infection in newborns.