Bacterial gut microbiota-key player in sepsis

Abstract

The gut microbiota is comprised of over 1200 different bacteria and forms a symbiotic community with the human organism, the holobiont. It plays an important role in the maintenance of homeostasis, e.g., of the immune system and essential metabolic processes. Disturbances in the balance of this reciprocal relationship are called dysbiosis and, in the field of sepsis, are associated with incidence of disease, extent of the systemic inflammatory response, severity of organ dysfunction, and mortality. In addition to providing guiding principles in the fascinating relationship between "human and microbe," this article summarizes recent findings regarding the role of the bacterial gut microbiota in sepsis, which is one a very relevant in intensive care medicine.