Why Is Early and Accurate Diagnosis the Patient’s “Lifeline” in Infection?

Abstract

1. Effective and accurate diagnosis in the early stages of infection can reduce physical damage, minimize drug side effects, lower economic burden, and in some cases even change the course of the disease.

2. Traditional inflammatory biomarkers cannot simultaneously achieve both bacterial specificity and early diagnostic capability.

3. Heparin-binding protein (HBP), as an emerging biomarker for bacterial infection, has been validated by numerous clinical studies for its early, specific, and predictive diagnostic value.

When the body is attacked by bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens, every minute in the early stage may determine the outcome of recovery. Many patients mistakenly believe they can simply “endure” the illness, unaware that the spread of infection inside the body is far faster than imagined. Early and accurate diagnosis acts as a lighthouse in the fog, offering multiple crucial benefits and potentially changing the disease trajectory. The progression of infectious diseases often follows the pattern of “quantitative change leading to qualitative change.”

Take pneumonia as an example: within the first 48 hours of pneumococcal colonization in the lungs, if early diagnostic methods can accurately identify the pathogen, physicians can promptly administer targeted antibiotics to prevent the bacteria from breaking through the alveolar barrier into the bloodstream. Conversely, if diagnosis is delayed or misinterpreted as a common cold, sepsis may develop within 72 hours, increasing treatment difficulty by 5–10 times. Clinical data show that for every one-hour delay in intravenous antibiotic therapy in sepsis, mortality increases by 7.6%—a stark reminder of the cost of lost time.

The longer pathogens remain unchecked, the greater and more irreversible the organ damage. For instance, urinary tract infections, if diagnosed early at the stage of frequent or urgent urination, can be cured with short-term antibiotics. However, once it progresses to pyelonephritis, bacteria may already have damaged the renal tubules, leading to long-term renal impairment.

In clinical practice, many patients fall into the trap of “blind medication” due to unclear diagnosis. Fever patients without confirmed infection type may be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics unnecessarily, leading to intestinal microbiota disruption and heightened risk of Clostridium difficile infection. Accurate diagnosis provides “precise navigation” for treatment. By identifying the type of pathogen through biomarkers, clinicians can select narrow-spectrum, sensitive antibiotics, thereby maximizing efficacy while minimizing adverse drug effects. For example, in Gram-negative bacterial infections, early detection enables use of third- or fourth-generation cephalosporins, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or aminoglycosides, while reducing the reliance on broad-spectrum antibiotics such as amoxicillin, piperacillin, or first- and second-generation cephalosporins.

Delayed diagnosis that progresses to severe infection often results in exponentially higher medical costs. In bacterial meningitis, patients diagnosed and treated early incur an average hospitalization cost of around 20,000 RMB. In contrast, delayed cases complicated by coma or hydrocephalus may require ICU admission and surgical intervention, with total expenses ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 RMB.

Unexplained fever or pain also creates significant psychological burden. Patients often wonder: Is it bacterial or viral? Is it contagious to my family? Such anxiety affects the neuroendocrine system and suppresses immunity, hindering recovery. Early diagnosis reassures patients. When a physician states, “This is streptococcal pharyngitis, and a 10-day course of penicillin will cure it,” patients’ anxiety is significantly relieved, improving adherence to treatment. Clinical studies indicate that patients with clear diagnoses demonstrate 40% better compliance and 20% faster recovery—evidence of the positive impact of psychological reassurance on physiological healing.

Traditional inflammatory biomarkers—commonly referred to as the “four swords”—include C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and serum amyloid A (SAA).

• CRP: A general inflammatory marker; not elevated in viral infections but increases in bacterial and autoimmune conditions; peaks ~48 hours after transient bacterial infection.

• PCT: A bacterial infection marker; not elevated in viral infections, may remain normal in localized infections; peaks ~24 hours after transient bacterial infection.

• IL-6: An early inflammatory marker; elevated in various infections, including non-bacterial ones; peaks ~2 hours after transient infection.

• SAA: Initially considered a viral infection marker, later found to show mild increases in viral infections but large increases in bacterial infections.

In comparison, traditional biomarkers either do not rise early enough to be clinically useful in the initial infection phase (e.g., CRP, PCT), or they rise early but lack bacterial specificity (e.g., IL-6, SAA).

Is there a biomarker that rises specifically in bacterial infections while also offering early diagnostic signals?

The answer is Heparin-Binding Protein (HBP).

HBP, also known as azurocidin, is a multifunctional inflammatory mediator released by neutrophils, with both pro-inflammatory and vascular permeability-regulating properties, playing a key role in infection. Its clinical value lies in early diagnosis, severity assessment, and prognosis of infectious diseases.

During acute bacterial infections, blood HBP levels can rise significantly within 1 hour, whereas in viral infections, HBP remains normal or only mildly elevated. Thus, measuring HBP helps clinicians diagnose acute bacterial infections, assess severity, and monitor antibiotic efficacy. Compared with traditional biomarkers, HBP rises earlier and offers greater specificity in bacterial infections.

As an emerging biomarker, HBP has been extensively validated in clinical studies for its early, specific, and predictive diagnostic value, particularly in emergency, ICU, and postoperative monitoring scenarios.

YouBest Biotechnology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. is committed to continuous innovation, with a vision of becoming the leader in inflammation diagnostics. The company offers both HBP test strips and HBP/PCT combined test strips, the latter protected by invention patents. We welcome like-minded partners who aspire to make significant contributions in the field of infectious diseases to join us.