Evaluation of bioMarkErs to Reduce Antibiotics Use in hospitalizeD nEonates (EMERAUDE)

Evaluation of Biomarkers Combination Performance for the Diagnosis of Neonatal Sepsis in NICU Hospitalized Newborns

Late-onset neonatal sepsis (LOS), occurring in newborn of at least 7 days of life, is frequently observed in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and potentially severe (mortality, neurologic and respiratory impairments).

Despite its high prevalence, a reliable diagnostic remains difficult. Currently, nonspecific clinical signs that might be linked to other neonatal conditions, such as prematurity and birth defects are used to determine the diagnosis of LOS. Laboratory results of biological markers, such as C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Procalcitonin (PCT) are often delayed in comparison with LOS onset. Blood culture results are too late and lack sensitivity.

Excessive antibiotic use is observed in a large proportion of NICU hospitalized newborns. This results in an increased antibiotic resistance, microbiota modification, neonatal complications (pulmonary, ophthalmologic and neurologic) and mortality.

The primary objective is to identify, on a cohort of 250 patients, the optimal biomarker combination with good diagnostic performance (i.e. with maximal Area Under the ROC Curve) to early exclude a LOS diagnostic in newborns of at least 7 days of life with suggestive signs.

This identification will be carried out, as a secondary objective, with a sub-group of pre-term neonates whose birth weight is less than 1500 grams. The diagnostic value of the clinical signs that are suggestive of LOS will also be determined (sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values).

Once identified, the biomarker combination is expected to reduce unjustified antibiotic use.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Late-Onset Neonatal Sepsis
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: Diagnostic performances of biomarkers combination

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 233
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Bron, France, 69500
    • Hospices Civils de Lyon
  • Nantes, France
    • CHU de Nantes

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 1 week and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients hospitalized in NICU;

• patients with suggestive signs of LOS including at least one of the following:

  o Fever > 38°C; tachycardia > 160bpm160 bpm; capillary refill time > 3 seconds; grey and/or pale skin complexion; apnea/ bradycardia syndrome,; bloating; rectal bleeding; hypotonia; lethargy; seizures without other obvious cause; increased ventilatory support and/or increased FiO2; cutaneous rash; inflammation at the needle-puncture site of the central venous catheter;

• patients with a standard of care blood sampling, including at least a blood culture;
• consent form signed by at least one parent/ legal representative.

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients treated with antibiotics for a bacteriologically confirmed infection at the moment of/ or 48 hours before blood sampling
• patients who underwent surgery during the 7 days prior to inclusion
• patients vaccinated during the 7 days prior to inclusion

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: NICU newborns of at least 7 days of life with suggestive signs

Biological: Diagnostic performances of biomarkers combination; A blood sample of 400µL will be drawn at inclusion, when neonatal sepsis is suspected, at the same time of a venipuncture prescribed for standard care. The dosage of 11 biomarkers will be performed in a central laboratory. The adjudication committee composed with 3 neonatalogists will classify patients in 3 groups (infected, not infected or unclassified patients), based on their clinical and biological data obtained, through the standard of care practice, during the 48 hours following inclusion. The adjudication committee will be blinded to the biomarkers results. The adjudication committee composed with 3 neonatalogists will classify patients in 3 groups (infected, not infected or unclassified patientsconfirmed infection, refuted infection), based on their clinical and biological data obtained, through the standard of care practice, during the 48 hours following inclusion. The adjudication committee will be blinded to the biomarkers results.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
LOS diagnosis in NICU newborns of at least 7 days of life with suggestive clinical signs, confirmed by adjudication committee	The primary outcome measure will be determined by an independent adjudication committee that will classify the patients into the following categories: infected, not infected or unclassified patients. This committee will be blinded to the biomarkers that will be used to identify a combination with the best negative predictive value. It will be composed of two neonatologists and a pediatrician specialized in the child infectious diseases. The diagnostic performance of the biomarkers combination will be based on the adjudication committee	hour 48

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
LOS diagnosis in NICU preterm neonates, whose weight at birth is less than 1500 grams, of at least 7 days of life, with suggestive clinical signs, confirmed by adjudication committee.	The primary outcome measure will be determined by an independent adjudication committee that will classify the patients into the following categories: infected, not infected or unclassified patients. This committee will be blinded to the biomarkers that will be used to identify a combination with the best negative predictive value. It will be composed of two neonatologists and a pediatrician specialized in the child infectious diseases. The diagnostic performance of the biomarkers combination will be based on the adjudication committee classification (gold standard).	Hour 48

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Pons S, Trouillet-Assant S, Subtil F, Abbas-Chorfa F, Cornaton E, Berthiot A, Galletti S, Plat A, Rapin S, Trapes L, Generenaz L, Brengel-Pesce K, Callies A, Plaisant F, Claris O, Portefaix A, Flamant C, Butin M. Performance of 11 Host Biomarkers Alone or in Combination in the Diagnosis of Late-Onset Sepsis in Hospitalized Neonates: The Prospective EMERAUDE Study. Biomedicines. 2023 Jun 13;11(6):1703. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11061703.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 22, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 20, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): November 20, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 28, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): October 3, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 4, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 28, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: preterm neonates; diagnostic; newborn; NICU; neonatal sepsis; biomarker combination; antibiotic use
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Infections; Sepsis; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome; Inflammation; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neonatal Sepsis; Disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: 69HCL17_0492

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No