# Sepsis diagnostics: why every hour decides treatment success

> In sepsis, the chance of survival falls with every hour until effective antimicrobial therapy. Molecular diagnostics straight from whole blood can create the decisive head start.

## Time is the most critical factor

Bloodstream infections and the resulting sepsis are among the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitals. What decides the outcome is the **early identification of the causative pathogen** and its resistance profile — only then can antimicrobial therapy be targeted.

Blood culture remains the gold standard, but incubation and subculturing often mean one to several days to a result. That delay is especially critical in patients with hard-to-culture or slow-growing pathogens — or when antimicrobial therapy has already started.

## Molecular diagnostics straight from whole blood

Molecular tests can substantially shorten the time to result. cube dx’s **compact sequencing** identifies clinically relevant bacteria, fungi and resistance genes **directly from whole blood in under three hours** — with no prior culturing.

This approach is particularly valuable for:

- **Mixed infections**, where several pathogens must be detected in parallel
- **Slow- or non-growing microorganisms**
- Situations where antimicrobial therapy is already under way

## A complement, not a replacement

Molecular tests don’t replace blood culture — they add speed to it. In independent clinical studies, the hybcell technology showed advantages over established methods particularly for mixed infections and the rapid detection of relevant resistance markers. See the details in our [publications](/en/insights/publications/).