Is procalcitonin increased in cases of invasive amoebiasis? A retrospective, observational study

• Procalcitonin (PCT) measurement is easy and quick to perform.
• PCT is elevated in invasive amoebiasis, however less so than in bacterial sepsis.
• PCT is normal in patients with digestive amoebiasis.

Procalcitonin (PCT) levels are commonly used for diagnostic guidance in routine bacterial infections. By contrast, little data are currently available regarding PCT in parasitic diseases, and its role in cases of invasive amoebiasis has not yet been described. For this purpose, 35 adult patients with a proven diagnosis of invasive or digestive amoebiasis were included in a 4-year study period. Serum PCT was retrospectively assessed. Results were analysed with regard to the usual inflammatory biomarkers, like C-reactive protein (CRP). PCT was significantly higher in patients with proven invasive amoebiasis than in digestive amoebiasis (mean value: 4.03 μg/L versus 0.07 μg/L, respectively; P < 0.001), but the SD was greater than with CRP, and the effect was less than that demonstrated in bacterial infections. By contrast, PCT was not shown to be elevated during digestive amoebiasis.