About the Authors

Sandrine Leroy

Sandrine.Leroy @pasteur.fr

Affiliations Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Oxford, United Kingdom, Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, Inserm U953 Unit, Paris, France, Department of Pediatrics, Paris Descartes University, Necker Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France

François Bouissou

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Paul Sabathier University, CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France

Anna Fernandez-Lopez

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, Lleida. Spain

Metin K. Gurgoze

Affiliation Firat University Faculty of Medicine, Elazig, Turkey

Kyriaki Karavanaki

Affiliation Department of Nephrology "A. and P. Kyriakou" Childen's Hospital, Athens, Greece

Tim Ulinski

Affiliation Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Trousseau Hospital and University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France

Silvia Bressan

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

Geogios Vaos

Affiliation Department of Pediatric Surgery, Alexandroupolis University Hospital, Thrace, Greece

Pierre Leblond

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, Jeanne de Flandre Hospital, Lille, France

Yvon Coulais

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Paul Sabathier University, CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France

Carlos Luaces Cubells

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, Hospital San Joan de Déu., Barcelona, Spain

A. Denizmen Aygun

Affiliation Firat University Faculty of Medicine, Elazig, Turkey

Constantinos J. Stefanidis

Affiliation Department of Nephrology "A. and P. Kyriakou" Childen's Hospital, Athens, Greece

Albert Bensman

Affiliation Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Trousseau Hospital and University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France

Liviana DaDalt

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

Stefanos Gardikis

Affiliation Department of Pediatric Surgery, Alexandroupolis University Hospital, Thrace, Greece

Sandra Bigot

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, Jeanne de Flandre Hospital, Lille, France

Dominique Gendrel

Affiliation Department of Pediatrics, Paris Descartes University, Necker Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France

Gérard Bréart

Affiliation Inserm U953 Unit, Paris, France

Martin Chalumeau

Affiliations Inserm U953 Unit, Paris, France, Department of Pediatrics, Paris Descartes University, Necker Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France

Competing Interests

Professors Gendrel and Chalumeau have received unrestricted educational grants for other studies, for a total amount lower than €5000, from Brahms AG, the manufacturer of procalcitonin, in 2007. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the study: SL MC. Collected the data: FB AF-L MKG KK TU SB GV PL YC CLC ADA CJS AB LD SG SB. Performed the statistical analysis: SL. Interpreted the data: SL. Drafted the manuscript: SL. Critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content: SL FB AF-L MKG KK TU SB GV PL YC CLC ADA CJS AB LD SG SB DG GB MC. Brought expertise in Epidemiology and Pediatric Infecious Diseses, respectively: GB DG. Obtained funding: SL.