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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d3824712e77">Sepsis is caused by a dysregulated host response
to infection. Immune responses determine
the characteristics of sepsis. The body's protection against infection involves danger
signal surveillance and recognition from nonself, effector functions in response to
sensing danger signals, homeostatic regulation, and generation of immunologic memory.
During sepsis, the immune system is activated by pathogen-associated and host-derived
molecular patterns. Detecting these molecular patterns generates multisystem responses.
Impaired organ function remote to the site of infection is the unifying feature. The
processes by which an appropriate response to a microbial invader change from adaptive
to maladaptive and dysregulated remain unclear.
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