Advances in the detection of pathogens in sepsis diagnostics

Sepsis is one of the most critical clinical conditions caused by a bloodstream infection. Confirmation of the presence of a pathogen in blood remains very challenging for in vitro diagnostics. The gold standard method for it is based on blood cultures, which can take several days. The mortality rate for sepsis progressively increases during each hour without therapy; therefore, much more rapid diagnostic methods are essential for combating sepsis. This chapter reviews modern methods and advances in the detection of pathogens in sepsis. Although currently there is no method that is considered to replace the gold standard protocol in the nearest time, many of the described technologies significantly reduce time-to-result and can streamline therapy and increase survival rates for sepsis patients.