WS 19 - Sepsis and Infections in the 21st Century

At the beginning of the 21st century, the book on infectious diseases is far from being closed. Increasing antibiotic resistance, emergence of new pathogens, together with changes in pathogen distribution due to altered climate and mobility and the rise in the undertaking of invasive medical procedures present global challenges. This threat is further enhanced by a drastic lack of (new) effective drugs as well as by insufficient preventive and diagnostic possibilities.

In particular, vulnerability to sepsis is increasing on a global scale and is now the third leading cause of death in the world. Sepsis refers to the life threatening condition in which the body fights a severe infection that has spread into the bloodstream, often resulting in organ failure. As well as constituting a life threatening condition, sepsis is one of the most costly conditions regarding treatment, in 2011 more than 20 billion dollars spent on fighting the disease in the US alone. Inconsistency in terms of recognition and assessment of symptoms continues to constitute a serious barrier to addressing the disease.

This session focuses on the threats posed by underestimated pathogens such as human pathogenic fungi and multiresistant bacteria as well as on strategies to effectively diagnose and efficiently treat sepsis in its early stages.