Deeply phenotyped cohort studies with serial host and pathogen sampling are needed, particularly from abdominal sources of sepsis.

The gap

Consensus across the literature

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• Identification of biomarkers for pediatric sepsis based on machine learning and bioinformatics analysis (2026) · doi

  The study identifies small sample size of healthy controls as introducing selection bias in pediatric sepsis biomarker identification. Validation requires expansion of the healthy control cohort to ensure robust baseline comparisons and reduce potential confounding in the machine learning models trained on multi-dataset integrated transcriptomic data.

  Keywords: pediatric sepsis biomarkers healthy controls sample size selection bias machine learning
• Source-stratified gut–extraintestinal organ crosstalk in sepsis-associated acute gastrointestinal injury and paralytic ileus: the gut as both driver and target (2026) · doi

  In enterogenic sepsis specifically, the dominant routes through which gut-derived inflammatory, microbial, metabolic, vascular, and extracellular vesicle signals propagate toward distant organs remain uncharacterized and require systematic mapping of directional signaling pathways to distinguish primary from secondary organ injury.

  Keywords: enterogenic sepsis extracellular vesicle signals microbial metabolites vascular signaling gut-derived inflammatory propagation
• The bug, the burden, and the biology: beyond host-centric phenotyping in sepsis (2026) · doi

  The majority of accumulated sepsis cohorts reflect predominantly respiratory sepsis, yet abdominal-derived pathogens appear critical to hyperinflammatory responses.

  Keywords: sepsis majority accumulated cohorts reflect predominantly respiratory abdominal derived pathogens appear critical hyperinflammatory responses
• The bug, the burden, and the biology: beyond host-centric phenotyping in sepsis (2026) · doi

  Deeply phenotyped cohort studies with serial host and pathogen sampling are needed, particularly from abdominal sources of sepsis.

  Keywords: deeply phenotyped cohort serial host pathogen sampling needed particularly abdominal sources sepsis