The ITT analysis revealed that the median duration of antibiotic therapy in the index episode of infection was similar in both groups, with first and third quartiles showing higher values in the control group: 7 (5–8.8) days in the CRP group versus 7 (7–11.3) days in the control group (p = 0.011) (Table 2; Additional file 6). Here, CRP is linked to infection.