The great weapon of gram-negative bacteria

摘要

Gram-negative bacteria produce endotoxins, which cause severe health problems that are difficult to control. Here, the authors explain where the endotoxins come from and what makes treatment and prevention so difficult to achieve. Septicaemia and shock have become much more prevalent over the last 50 years in farm animals and humans. Despite the availability of potent antibiotics and vaso-active drugs, advanced monitoring techniques and intensive care, the mortality rate due to gram-negative bacterial infection remains distressingly high at 60-80 percent. Most of these septic shocks are due to endotoxins liberated from the outer covering of gram-negative bacteria.