Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection injures its own tissues and organs. Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion. There may also be symptoms related to a specific infection, such as a cough with pneumonia, or painful urination with a kidney infection. Sepsis is caused by an immune response triggered by an infection. The infection is most commonly bacterial, but it can be from fungi, viruses, or parasites. Several preclinical models for sepsis have been used in the last decades to successfully unravel the pathophysiologic processes during sepsis.