As with any medical condition, bacterial infections should be treated promptly in order to avoid potential complications, the most serious of which is sepsis, which can lead to severe sepsis and septic shock. These are emergency medical conditions and can be life-threatening. Sepsis is caused when the body’s immune system overacts to infection and, for reasons not understood, starts attacking the body instead of the invading bacteria. Sepsis can quickly progress to severe sepsis which in most cases will require treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU) due to the failure of one or more organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and/or brain. Septic shock is the third and most severe level of sepsis and occurs when blood pressure falls to dangerously low levels together with a rapid pulse, dizziness or light-headedness, low body temperature, or rapid breathing.