Journal of molecular medicine : official organ of the "Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte"
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Sepsis results from the interaction between a host and an invading pathogen. The microcirculatory dysfunction is now considered central in the development of the often deadly multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in septic shock patients. ⋯ Although the host response through the inflammatory and immunologic response appears to be critical, there are also evidences that Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria can exert different effects at the microcirculatory level. In this review we discuss available data on the potential bacterial-specific microcirculatory alterations observed during sepsis.