title: Early alterations of B cells in patients with septic shock: another piece in the complex puzzle of the immune response in sepsis.
abstract: Impairment of the inflammatory-immune response is currently accepted as a hallmark of severe sepsis even in the early stages of the disease. In this context, the alterations of the circulating B-lymphocytes have never been described in detail. The study by Monserrat and colleagues in the previous issue of Critical Care indicated that, in patients with septic shock, the B-cell compartment is early and deeply altered with different patterns in subset distribution and activation between survivors and non-survivors.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Girardis
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cossarizza
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*