Heparin-binding protein (HBP) emerges as a highly accurate diagnostic tool for bacterial infections, displaying sensitivity and specificity in blood samples, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine, prompting further investigation into its potential prognostic value and role in guiding antibiotic therapy.

The following is a summary of “Diagnostic utility of heparin-binding protein among patients with bacterial infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the January 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Taha et al.

Detecting bacterial infections quickly and easily remains challenging, prompting research into Heparin-binding protein (HBP) as a potential biomarker.

Researchers embarked on a retrospective analysis to assess the effectiveness of HBP as a diagnostic tool for bacterial infections.

They screened articles in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane to identify eligible studies. Included were studies that explored the diagnostic accuracy of HBP and provided the required data for constructing 2 × 2 tables. Conducting a univariate analysis, they determined pooled sensitivity and specificity. Utilizing a bivariate diagnostic random-effects model, the optimal cut-off point was calculated.

The results showed 16 studies with plasma HBP exhibiting a sensitivity of 0.90 (95% CI: [0.79, 0.96]) and specificity of 0.87 (95% CI: [0.66, 0.96]) for diagnosing bacterial infections in blood samples. Pooled data from seven studies indicated that HBP in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) had a sensitivity of 96% (95% CI: [0.85, 0.99]) and specificity of 95% (95% CI: [0.89, 0.97]) for bacterial meningitis diagnosis Urine-HBP at a cut-off of 32.868 ng/ml showed high diagnostic value in distinguishing bacterial from non-bacterial urinary tract infections (UTI), with 87% sensitivity and specificity.

Investigators concluded that HBP’s potential as a highly accurate diagnostic tool for bacterial infections like UTI and meningitis warrants further investigation into its prognostic value and potential to guide antibiotic therapy.

Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-09004-w