The HA-1A Monoclonal Antibody for Gram-Negative Sepsis

To the Editor: Ziegler and collaborators (Feb. 14 issue) 1 recently reported on an impressive reduction in 28-day mortality, from 49 percent to 30 percent, in a subgroup of patients who had bacteremia due to gram-negative bacilli. The patients were treated with human anti—lipid A monoclonal antibody early in the course after the onset of symptoms. Patients with sepsis or bacteremia caused by microorganisms other than gram-negative bacilli received no measurable benefit. These results prompted the investigators to recommend the therapy as routine treatment for patients with clinical signs of bacteremia, provided that a gram-negative organism was suspected as the cause. . . .