Circulating Interleukin (IL)-1 Beta, IL-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in Children with Febrile Infection- A Comparison with C-Reactive Protein

It's a common diagnostic di lemma for the pediatrician to dif ferentiate between viral and bac terial infection when caring for chil dren with prolonged febrile illness. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein synthesized by hepatocytes in response to tissue in jury and inflammation. Elevation of serum CRP levels may suggest the possibility of bacterial infection in situations where microbiological diagnosis is difficult or too slow in the clinical context. l,2 In general, CRP elevations in acute bacterial infections tend to be in the range of 100 to 350 mgll, while CRP values in most acute viral infections tend to be much lower, < 20-40 mgll?·4 However, this distinction is by no means absolute, and CRP values> 100 mgll can occur in common pediatric infections caused by ade novirus, cytomegalovirus, influenz