title: Sepsis-induced immune dysfunction: can immune therapies reduce mortality?
abstract: Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response induced by an infection, leading to organ dysfunction and mortality. Historically, sepsis-induced organ dysfunction and lethality were attributed to the interplay between inflammatory and antiinflammatory responses. With advances in intensive care management and goal-directed interventions, early sepsis mortality has diminished, only to surge later after "recovery" from acute events, prompting a search for sepsis-induced alterations in immune function. Sepsis is well known to alter innate and adaptive immune responses for sustained periods after clinical "recovery," with immunosuppression being a prominent example of such alterations. Recent studies have centered on immune-modulatory therapy. These efforts are focused on defining and reversing the persistent immune cell dysfunction that is associated with mortality long after the acute events of sepsis have resolved.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Delano
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D022423:Myeloid Cells / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy