Treating or inhibiting severe sepsis based on measuring defensin alpha 4 (DEFA4) expression

A method for treating or inhibiting the development of severe sepsis in a subject, the method comprising:

• (1) determining a biomarker profile for a peripheral blood sample taken from the subject, wherein the determining comprises measuring the level of a defensin alpha 4 (DEFA4) polynucleotide expression product in the peripheral blood sample;
• (2) comparing the sample biomarker profile to a reference biomarker profile that correlates presence or absence of severe sepsis specifically with a reference level of the DEFA4 polynucleotide expression product, wherein the level of the DEFA4 polynucleotide expression product in the sample biomarker profile is compared to the level of the DEFA4 polynucleotide expression product in the reference biomarker profile;
• (3) determining whether the subject has an increased likelihood of the presence of severe sepsis based on the comparison of the sample biomarker profile to the reference biomarker profile;
• and
• (4) administering to the subject a therapy for treating severe sepsis if the subject is determined to have an increased likelihood of the presence of severe sepsis.