Pathophysiology and management of meningococcal septicaemia.

Whilst an infecting organism may produce toxins which injure tissues directly, this is often inadequate to explain the clinico-pathological sequelae in severe sepsis. Instead, the dominant role in pathogenesis may lie with components of the host immune response to infection. The highly conserved responses of the innate immune system comprise sequential activation and amplification of humoral and cellular antimicrobial defence mechanisms which can escape the control of anti-inflammatory regulation, inadvertently causing injury to the host. Further understanding of the immunopathogenesis of severe sepsis may unveil new opportunities for therapeutic intervention .