Table 4.
C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) values in patients of acute Q fever with and without delayed responses to doxycycline treatmenta
| Treatment to defervescence ≤3 days | Treatment to defervescence > 3 days | p | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRP (mg/L) | ||||
| Acute phase (Mean ± SD) | 79.1 ± 61.2 | 107.8 ± 68.8 | 0.096 | |
| > 25 | 77.6% (52/67) | 94.1% (16/17) | 0.174 | |
| > 50 | 67.2% (45/67) | 82.4% (14/17) | 0.373 | |
| > 75 | 44.8% (30/67) | 58.8% (10/17) | 0.300 | |
| > 100 | 34.3% (23/67) | 47.1% (8/17) | 0.331 | |
| > 150 | 10.4% (7/67) | 17.6% (3/17) | 0.415 | |
| > 200 | 3.0% (2/67) | 11.8% (2/17) | 0.181 | |
| Convalescent phase (Mean ± SD) b | 5.3 ± 17.4 | 20.7 ± 45.2 | 0.103 | |
| > 25 | 3.1% (1/32) | 7.7% (1/13) | 0.499 | |
| > 50 | 3.1% (1/32) | 7.7% (1/13) | 0.499 | |
| > 75 | 3.1% (1/32) | 7.7% (1/13) | 0.499 | |
| > 100 | 0% (0/46) | 7.1% (1/14) | 0.289 | |
| PCT (ng/mL) | ||||
| Acute phase (Mean ± SD) | 1.07 ± 1.45 | 1.67 ± 1.78 | 0.187 | |
| > 0.25 | 75.4% (46/61) | 85.7% (12/14) | 0.502 | |
| > 0.5 | 49.2% (30/61) | 78.6% (11/14) | 0.073 | |
| > 1.0 | 29.5% (18/61) | 57.1% (8/14) | 0.050* | |
| > 1.5 | 23.0% (14/61) | 28.6% (4/14) | 0.731 | |
| > 2.0 | 13.1% (8/61) | 21.4% (3/14) | 0.420 | |
| > 4.0 | 6.6% (4/61) | 14.3% (2/14) | 0.311 | |
| Convalescent phase (Mean ± SD)b | 0.06 ± 0.10 | 0.17 ± 0.20 | 0.098 | |
| > 0.25 | 7.1% (3/42) | 33.3% (4/12) | 0.036* | |
| > 0.5 | 0% (0/42) | 8.3% (1/12) | 0.222 | |
| > 1.0 | 0% (0/42) | 0% (0/12) | NC | |
SD standard deviation, NC not calculated
*p < 0.05 indicates statistical significance
aPatients who received fluoroquinolones or achieved defervescence before intervention of doxycycline treatment were excluded
bTests for the convalescent phase of acute Q fever were performed 12–45 days from the disease onset (average, 20.3 ± 6.1 days; median, 18.5 days)