Philip Dela Cruz, Richard Wargowsky, Alberto Gonzalez-Almada, Erick Perez Sifontes, Eduard Shaykhinurov, Kevin Jaatinen, Tisha Jepson, John E Lafleur, David Yamane, John Perkins, Mary Pasquale, Brian Giang, Matthew McHarg, Zach Falk, Timothy A McCaffrey
Purpose: Secondary opportunistic coinfections are a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but can be difficult to identify. Presently, new blood RNA biomarkers were tested in ICU patients to diagnose viral, bacterial, and biofilm coinfections. Methods: COVID-19 ICU patients had whole blood drawn in RNA preservative and stored at -80°C. Controls and subclinical infections were also studied. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) quantified 6 RNA biomarkers of host neutrophil activation to bacterial (DEFA1), biofilm (alkaline phosphatase [ALPL], IL8RB/CXCR2), and viral infections (IFI27, RSAD2)...
May 6, 2024: Journal of Intensive Care Medicine