Advances in medical science have resulted in increased interventions in critically ill patients creating foci from where bacteria can gain access to the blood stream. This has resulted in an increase in blood stream infections (BSIs). Invasion of the blood stream by bacteria presents clinically as sepsis or septic shock. Early diagnosis and appropriate therapy are important for the survival of the patient.

Conventional culture techniques are time consuming. However, newer automated systems have resulted in shortening the time of diagnosis. Excessive use of antibiotics in the hospital and community has resulted in drug resistant organisms causing infections, making it imperative not only to diagnose sepsis but also to identify the causative agent and the antibiotic which would be efficacious against it.

This special issue mainly focuses on the various aspects of blood stream infections, the etiology including causative organisms, and the presence of multidrug resistant infections. The issue would evaluate the various biomarkers available for the rapid diagnosis of sepsis, the comparative results of various automated systems in the diagnosis of sepsis, and the innovations in intravenous catheters and other intravascular devises to prevent such infections. Prospective authors are invited to contribute original research articles as well as critical reviews for this forthcoming special issue. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Clinical presentations of blood stream infections
• Common foci from where they originate
• Etiological agents and their resistograms
• Automated systems used in diagnosis
• Role of biomarkers in diagnosis
• Fungal blood stream infections
• Nucleic acid based detection methods
• Prevention of blood stream infections
• Development of novel intravascular devises which prevent formation of biofilms

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/bmri/microbiology/bsi/ according to the following timetable: