Procalcitonin for the diagnosis of bacterial infections and guidance of antibiotic treatment in patients with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack

A method for diagnosing a bacterial infection in a patient who has suffered from an acute stroke or from a transient ischemic attack, comprising the steps of:

• (i) providing a sample from a patient who has suffered from an acute stroke or a transient ischemic attack wherein the sample was taken from said patient earlier than 72 hours after the onset of acute stroke or transient ischemic attack symptoms;
• (ii) determining the level of Procalcitonin (PCT) or a fragment thereof of at least 12 amino acids in length in said sample using a PCT detection assay with a functional assay sensitivity of below 0.06 ng/mL;
• and
• (iii) determining whether said patient has a bacterial infection or not by comparing said determined PCT level with a predetermined threshold level.