Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Oct 2013
Overexpression of Activated Protein C is Detrimental During Severe Experimental Gram-Negative Sepsis (Melioidosis)*
The interplay between inflammation and blood coagulation is an essential part of host defense during severe pneumosepsis. Melioidosis, instigated by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a frequent cause of pneumosepsis in Southeast Asia. Patients with severe pneumosepsis, including melioidosis, have decreased circulating levels of protein C. Activated protein C has anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of sustained elevated activated protein C levels on the host response during melioidosis. ⋯ Constitutively enhanced expression of activated protein C impairs host defense during severe Gram-negative sepsis caused by B. pseudomallei.