Reduction of Unnecessary Antibiotic Therapy in Newborn Infants Using Interleukin-8 and C-Reactive Protein as Markers of Bacterial Infections

Abstract

The combination of IL-8 and/or CRP is a reliable and early test for the diagnosis of NBI in newborn infants. Using the combination of IL-8 and/or CRP to restrict antibiotic therapy to truly infected infants reduces unnecessary antibiotic therapy and is cost-effective.