Soluble Toll-like receptor 2 - a new potential biomarker for sepsis
Current biomarkers for early sepsis diagnosis include leukocyte and neutrophil counts, lactate levels, C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT). The sensitivity and specificity of established biomarkers during early sepsis can be low, although a combination of two or more biomarkers may increase the diagnostic accuracy of sepsis diagnosis (1).
Procalcitonin, with a global market size of US$ 280.6 million in 2023, and anticipated growth rate of 6.2%, is projected to reach a value of $512.9 million by 2033 (2).Soluble Toll-like receptor 2 and sepsis
A study of soluble Toll-like receptor 2 (sTLR2) versus CRP in critically ill patients showed that sTLR2 has better specificity and sensitivity for sepsis than C-reactive protein, the most commonly used marker in the ICU (AUC sTLR2 0.959; CRP 0.764). Further, sTLR2 levels below 1 ng/mL had good ability to rule out sepsis whether it is secondary to bacterial or fungal infection within the first 12 h of ICU stay, when clinical parameters and traditional markers of infection are often equivocal (3).
1. Early Diagnosis of Sepsis: The Role of Biomarkers and Rapid Microbiological Tests