Elevated calcitonin precursor levels are related to mortality in an animal model of sepsis

Background:
Increased serum levels of procalcitonin (ProCT) and its component
peptides have been reported in humans with sepsis. Using a hamster model of
bacterial peritonitis, we investigated whether serum ProCT levels are elevated
and correlate with mortality and hypocalcemia.

      Results:
      Incremental increases in doses of bacteria resulted in
            proportional increases in 72h mortality rates (0, 20, 70, and 100%) as well as
            increases in serum total immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) levels at 12 h (250,
            380, 1960, and 4020 pg/ml, respectively, vs control levels of 21 pg/ml).
            Gel filtration studies revealed that ProCT was the predominant (> 90%)
            molecular form of serum iCT secreted. In the metabolic experiments, total iCT
            peaked at 12 h concurrent with the maximal decrease in serum calcium.


      Conclusions:
      In this animal model, hyper-procalcitoninemia was an early
            systemic marker of sepsis which correlated closely with mortality and had an
            inverse correlation with serum calcium levels.