Definition:
Serious bacterial infections (also referred to as ‘severe bacterial infections’), or SBIs, are common causes of hospital admission and are associated with adverse outcomes such as sepsis and death. SBIs are caused by the invasion and multiplication of harmful bacteria within the body and often lead to life-threatening complications if not properly treated. The most frequent foci of infection for SBIs are pneumonia, urinary tract infections, bacteraemia/blood stream infections, intra-abdominal infections and skin and soft tissue infections. While SBIs can be caused by antibiotic-susceptible as well as -resistant bacteria, growing antimicrobial resistance poses a major threat for the successful treatment of SBIs.