Table 1

Inclusion criteria for meta-analysis

Study characteristicsInclusion criteria
PopulationFebrile (≥37.5°C) infants ≤90 days of age
(fever measured within 48 hours of attendance)
Primary index testProcalcitonin (serum or plasma measurement)
Reference testIBI:

  • Bacterial meningitis defined as pathogenic bacteria identified by qPCR or bacterial culture from CSF

  • Symptomatic bacteraemia defined as pathogenic bacteria identified by qPCR or bacterial culture from blood


SBI:
Author definition of SBI to include, but not be limited by, all IBI and urinary tract infections (UTIs), where UTI is defined as pathogenic bacteria identified by qPCR or pathogenic bacterial culture from urine
Primary outcomeTrue positives, true negatives, false positives, false negatives
Sensitivity, specificity
Study designDiagnostic test accuracy studies

  • CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; IBI, invasive bacterial infection; qPCR, quantitative PCR; SBI, serious bacterial infection.