AUTHOR=Iyengar Anjali , Paulus Jessica K. , Gerlanc Daniel J. , Maron Jill L. 

TITLE=Detection and Potential Utility of C-Reactive Protein in Saliva of Neonates

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=2

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2014.00131

DOI=10.3389/fped.2014.00131

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> We aimed to detect C-reactive protein (CRP) in neonatal saliva and evaluate its diagnostic utility.</p><p><bold>Study Design:</bold> Salivary and serum samples (<italic>n</italic> = 89) were collected from 40 neonates. Salivary CRP levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; serum CRP was measured per hospital protocol. Correlation coefficients with 95% confidence intervals and robust linear regression measured association while receiver–operator characteristic curves described the accuracy of salivary CRP in discriminating abnormal serum CRP thresholds of ≥10 and 5 mg/L. Corresponding sensitivities and specificities were calculated for these salivary cutpoints.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The area under the curve for salivary CRP in predicting serum CRP levels of ≥10 and 5 mg/L were 0.81 and 0.76, respectively. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity for raw salivary CRP to discriminate a serum CRP of ≥5 mg/L was 0.54 and 0.95, respectively. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity for raw salivary CRP to discriminate a serum CRP of ≥10 mg/L was 0.64 and 0.94, respectively. A statistically significant correlation was observed between serum and salivary CRP (<italic>r</italic> = 0.62, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> C-reactive protein is detectable in neonatal saliva and can predict abnormal serum CRP thresholds. Salivary CRP analysis represents a feasible screening tool for detecting abnormal serum CRP levels.</p>