In the current study the predictive values of WBC and CRP for infection and sepsis are comparable with those identified in previous studies, in which a low AUROC of 0.55–0.66 for WBC (sensitivity 65–91 %; specificity 35–54 %) and an intermediate AUROC of 0.64–0.77 for CRP (sensitivity 82–100 %; specificity 40–64 %) was reported [4, 5, 10, 11]. The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is infection.