Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening illness. Your body's response to a bacterial infection usually causes it. Your immune system goes into overdrive, overwhelming normal processes in your blood. The result is that small blood clots form, blocking blood flow to vital organs. This can lead to organ failure. Babies, old people and those with weakened immune systems are most likely to get sepsis. But even healthy people can become deathly ill from it.

Everything You Need To Know About Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening systemic response to an infection. This article provides an overview of sepsis, including stages, diagnosis and treatment.

Sepsis Prevention

Sepsis and Pregnancy

Causes and Symptoms of Sepsis in Newborns

Sepsis and Influenza

How Antimicrobial Resistance Amplifies the Burden of Sepsis

Sepsis: Identifying the Signs and Administering First Aid

Sepsis History

Sepsis Epidemiology

Sepsis at the Molecular Level

The Stages of Sepsis

Recovering from Sepsis

See more featured articles »

The Development of a Sepsis Scoring System in a Murine Model

Sepsis Pathophysiology

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and Sepsis

Diagnosis and Treatment of Sepsis in Newborns

Sepsis Diagnosis

Lactate Levels and Sepsis

Sepsis Complications and Prevention

Latest Sepsis News and Research

Regional differences found in newborn antibiotic use for suspected sepsis in Sweden

There are relatively large regional differences in Sweden in the proportion of newborns receiving antibiotics for suspected sepsis, according to a study at the University of Gothenburg.

4 Aug 2025

Study finds rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among malnourished children in Niger

A new study led by researchers at the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) has found that antimicrobial resistant bacteria is spreading rapidly among children being treated for severe malnutrition in a hospital facility in Niger.

1 Aug 2025

New strategy reveals how mannose receptor helps regulate blood proteins

The amount of each of the more than a thousand different glycoproteins in your blood varies widely with the 10 most abundant glycoproteins accounting for 90 percent of the total mass.

30 Jul 2025

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome increases risks and costs after major surgery

Patients who develop alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) after major surgery face significantly higher risks of complications, longer hospital stays, and increased health care costs, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS).

28 Jul 2025

TraMA offers breakthrough in measuring biological age

A new research paper was published in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 17, Issue 6, on June 13, 2025, titled "Development of a novel transcriptomic measure of aging: Transcriptomic Mortality-risk Age (TraMA)."

28 Jul 2025

Cosmetic surgeries led to disfiguring injuries, patients allege

A few days after a harrowing cosmetic surgery procedure, Erin Schaeffer said, she woke up with fluid leaking from an open wound in her stomach.

28 Jul 2025

Addressing avoidable hospitalizations in terminally ill nursing home residents

Hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits can be distressing and costly for nursing home residents – especially those who are severely impaired or terminally ill. Despite their vulnerability, these individuals are frequently transferred to hospitals, even though up to 40% of such transfers over the past 25 years are considered potentially avoidable by health care professionals.

25 Jul 2025

New biomarker ELL2 identified for early diagnosis and prognosis in sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by organ dysfunction resulting from the body's dysregulated response to infection.

18 Jul 2025

Experts highlight urgent need to regulate bariatric and metabolic surgery medical tourism

Medical tourism for bariatric and weight reduction surgery needs urgent regulation to protect recipients' health, especially as the data show that tourist numbers are increasing despite the advent of weight loss drugs, say experts in a commentary published online in BMJ Global Health.

16 Jul 2025

FINRISK population-based study investigates factors associated with prevalence of antibiotic resistance

A population-based study led by the University of Turku, Finland, investigated factors associated with the prevalence of antibiotic resistance.

16 Jul 2025

Hungry bacteria choose food over danger in the human gut

Bacteria that cause intestinal infections typically avoid a stinky chemical - one that can kill them at high enough concentrations - inside human intestines, but they may actually swim toward it when a hearty meal is the reward.

16 Jul 2025

Mapping how major organs communicate during physiological stress in humans

How major organs work together to manage extreme physiological stresses such as lack of oxygen and sleep has been mapped for the first time by researchers from UCL and the University of Portsmouth.

12 Jul 2025

TMP-SMX in early pregnancy increases risk of birth defects, new study shows

A large US cohort study found that using trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for UTI in the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of congenital malformations compared to β-lactam antibiotics. No increased risk was seen with nitrofurantoin or fluoroquinolones.

10 Jul 2025

Coffee ring effect inspires breakthrough in rapid at-home tests for disease detection

Got a sore throat and the sniffles? The recent rise of rapid at-home tests has made it easier to find out if you have a serious illness like COVID-19 or just a touch of spring allergies.

8 Jul 2025

IL-6 and CRP offer limited boost for predicting infections after lung cancer surgery

Early postoperative levels of IL-6 and CRP are independently associated with infection risk after pulmonary cancer surgery. However, adding these biomarkers to standard clinical predictors provides only limited improvement in infection prediction.

25 Jun 2025

Deadly central line-associated bloodstream infections could be prevented using new e-catheter hub

Washington State University and Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an electrochemical catheter hub that could someday help prevent deadly central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) that annually kill thousands of people around the world.

25 Jun 2025

Cord blood proteins help detect early sepsis in preterm infants

Scientists from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and colleagues identified several proteins from the umbilical cord blood of preterm newborns that signal acute systemic inflammation as an immune response to infection, providing objective and noninvasive means to diagnose early onset sepsis.

20 Jun 2025

Pandorabactins help pathogenic bacteria compete for iron in the lungs

An interdisciplinary research team led by the Leibniz-HKI in Jena has discovered a new group of bioactive natural compounds in pathogenic bacteria of the genus Pandoraea: pandorabactins.

19 Jun 2025

Global guideline released by WHO on managing sickle cell disease in pregnancy

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its first-ever global guideline on the management of sickle cell disease (SCD) during pregnancy, addressing a critical and growing health challenge that can have life-threatening consequences for both women and babies.

19 Jun 2025

Stanford study identifies gene signature that predicts immune health

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, information began to trickle in about who was at higher risk of a dangerous outcome from infection. Men. Those over 65. Smokers. Those with obesity.

18 Jun 2025