Sepsis: Another Dangerous Complication from Foodborne Illness

Sepsis (sometimes called septicemia), often incorrectly referred to as blood poisoning, is a whole body inflammatory response to the presence of bacteria in the blood. To greatly oversimplify, the blood becomes something so toxic the body wants to reject it. Almost all bacterial food pathogens can lead to sepsis. Foodborne bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter get ingested and pass through the intestinal lining and get into the blood. The blood circulates the pathogens throughout, exposing every organ and body system to the poisons. The CDC lists sepsis as the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S.  The disease is broken down into three categories based on the level of severity.

1. Sepsis: It is a blood infection with limited body response and a 20% percent mortality rate.
2. Severe sepsis: Defined as sepsis with organ system failure. Severe sepsis has a 40% mortality rate.
3. Septic shock: A sepsis infection so severe the victim’s blood pressure drops to lethally low levels. Usually at the end stage of organ failure, the fatality rate of septic shock is greater than 60%.