title: The authors reply.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium Ibis Biosciences, Abbott, Carlsbad, CA.
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: Rangarajan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sampath
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology*; D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*