Researchers report new way to target sepsis

Researchers are reporting a new way to target sepsis, a leading cause of hospital deaths.  The findings could save lives in the future, they say.

Sepsis is a serious medical condition caused by an overwhelming immune response to infection. It is difficult to detect at its early stages, and without timely treatment, can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Scientists have not yet developed a medicine that specifically targets the aggressive immune response seen with sepsis.

In the new study conducted in mice, scientists found that there are different molecular pathways in sepsis depending on the type of bacterial pathogen present and that pathogens appear to be able to disable the protective machinery of the host. The scientists found that boosting the level of certain enzymes appeared to reduce inflammation. The finding points toward a potential strategy for developing drugs against sepsis that exploits this mechanism.  The study, partly funded by NHLBI, appeared in Cell Host & Microbe.