Multiplex PCR pathogen detection in two severely burned patients with suspected septicemia

Molecular diagnosis of sepsis: New aspects and recent developments

By shortening the time to pathogen identification and allowing for detection of organisms missed by blood culture, new molecular methods may provide clinical benefits for the management of patients with sepsis. While a number of reviews on the diagnosis of sepsis have recently been published we here present up-to-date new developments including multiplex PCR, mass spectrometry and array techniques. We focus on those techniques that are commercially available and for which clinical studies have been performed and published.

The meta-genome of sepsis: host genetics, pathogens and the acute immune response

Severe infection and the patient response constitute sepsis. Here, we review the meta-genome (patient genetics, pathogen communities and host response) and its impact upon the outcome of severe sepsis. Patient genetics, both predisposition for infection and the subsequent response to infection are reviewed. The pathogen is discussed with particular emphasis upon the modern era of microbiome analysis and nucleic acid diagnostics. Finally, we discuss the host clinical and immune responses and present new data to suggest that the immune response is the key to understanding sepsis and improving a death rate of nearly 30%.

Review of burn research for the year 2011

The year 2011 was another robust year for burn research. Over 1100 articles were published on a wide range of burn injury and treatment topics. In this review, we highlight some of the interesting and potentially influential research in the following areas: critical care, infection, inhalation injury, epidemiology, wound characterization and treatment, nutrition and metabolism, pain management, burn reconstruction, psychology, and rehabilitation. As in years past, burn injury research reflects the multidisciplinary and holistic care that is needed to treat this challenging injury condition.

The potential for PCR based testing to improve diagnosis and treatment of sepsis

Early and appropriate antibiotic use is critical for the treatment of sepsis. In practice, however, early antibiotic administration is hampered by diagnostic uncertainty with regard to both early diagnosis of disease and delayed or absent microbiological results. The diagnostic uncertainty often persists into the later stages of sepsis when clinical response to antibiotic treatment is assessed. Blood culture, the current "gold standard" test for diagnosis of sepsis, is inadequate due to low sensitivity and delayed results. However, despite this, the technology remains entrenched in microbiology laboratories due to decades of accumulated experience with the technique. However, in recent years there has been increasing experience with testing based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR). As the technology continues to improve, PCR testing is becoming faster and more sensitive. Moreover, PCR technologies that quantify bacterial load may enable monitoring of response to treatment and susceptibility testing.