Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 2025; 27(1):11-17
Objective. To determine role of ferritin (FT), procalcitonin (PCT) and their ratio (FT/PCT) in the differential diagnosis of viral lung injury and bacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
Materials and Methods. A prospective multicenter study included adult patients with CAP hospitalized in multidisciplinary hospitals from July to November 2023. All patients had their PCT and FT levels determined in addition to the standard examination protocol. Etiological diagnostics included microbiological examination of a respiratory sample and blood (in severe cases), rapid tests for pneumococcal and legionella antigenuria, and molecular testing of respiratory samples to detect DNA/RNA of the most common respiratory viruses and difficult-to-culture or non-cultivate bacterial pathogens.