CRP

System reagent for the quantitative determination of C-Reactive Protein in human serum on Beckman Coulter AU analyzers. C-reactive protein (CRP) has long been recognized as one of the most, if not the most, sensitive of the acute-phase reactants. C-reactive protein levels in plasma can rise dramatically after myocardial infarction, stress, trauma, infection, inflammation, surgery, or neoplastic proliferation. The inscrease occurs within 24 to 48 hours, and the level may be 2000 times normal. Becauses the increase is nonspecific however, it cannot be interpreted without a complete clinical history, and even then only by comparison with previous values. Cord blood normally has low CRP concentrations (0.01 - 0.35 mg/L), but in intra-uterine infection, levels may be high as 260 mg/L.