[Microbiological laboratories for sepsis in the 21st century]

A new concept, "SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome)", introduced for the use of innovative therapies in sepsis, indicates the importance of clinically satisfying services in the laboratories. Appropriate laboratory management of the host, parasite and environment, is needed for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sepsis. Improvement of environmental conditions is expected to contribute to the prevention of sepsis by nosocomial infections. Another important key in the management is quality assurance in blood cultures, which involves three issues that must be improved. Concerning the first two issues, high sensitivity and low contamination, balanced procedures must be performed to ensure cost-effectiveness. Regarding the third issue, we proposed a quick return system for positive blood cultures. We need to reconsider the traditional concept of "time" in microbiological tests and employ practical measures for sepsis in clinical laboratories.