Infection in the blood, clinically termed bloodstream infection, denotes the presence and proliferation of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or their products within the normally sterile circulation. It is most often confirmed by blood culture and ranges in severity from transient, self-limiting bacteremia to …
Infection in the blood, clinically termed bloodstream infection, denotes the presence and proliferation of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or their products within the normally sterile circulation. It is most often confirmed by blood culture and ranges in severity from transient, self-limiting bacteremia to sustained infection that triggers a dysregulated systemic inflammatory response. When this response causes organ dysfunction it is defined as sepsis, and progression to circulatory and metabolic collapse constitutes septic shock, a leading cause of in-hospital mortality. Pathogens reach the bloodstream from primary foci including the lungs, urinary tract, abdomen, skin and soft tissue, or indwelling vascular catheters, and the responsible organisms span Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as opportunistic fungi, with invasive mycoses more common in immunocompromised or post-viral patients. Management rests on early recognition, prompt source control, and timely empirical antimicrobial therapy guided by likely pathogens and local resistance patterns, later narrowed once culture and susceptibility results return. Prevention is equally central and depends on rigorous infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene, aseptic device handling, environmental cleaning, and surveillance. Antimicrobial stewardship and attention to emerging multidrug-resistant organisms remain essential to limiting bloodstream infections and improving patient outcomes worldwide.
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