Infectious diseases remain among the most frequent pathologies in Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Italy. In the last 2 years, 13.7 % of the patients in the ICU were admitted due to infection and 8.7 % of the patients acquired an infection during their ICU stay [1]. Patients usually need ICU admittance when the infectious disease becomes severe enough to impair vital functions. The systemic inflammatory reaction due to infectious disease, known as sepsis, has a huge impact on length of stay and on mortality. Infection is always accompanied by an inflammatory reaction of the tissue involved to enhance the host immune response and to avoid the spread of the pathogens. Their specific characteristics of virulence or sites of infection, together with particular clinical situations of the host, could determine a systemic activation of the inflammatory reaction. This septic syndrome can lead to multiple organ failure and is still characterized by high mortality [2].

The management of sepsis needs therefore to involve the control of the pathogen growth in organs or tissues together with the control of the inflammatory reaction that has overwhelmed the site of infection and has spread to the whole body.