Diagnosis of sepsis

A method of predicting an increased likelihood of developing sepsis in a human SIRS patient comprising:

• obtaining a first blood sample from said patient, said sample comprising biomarker mRNAs;
• measuring the abundances of said biomarker mRNAs in said first blood sample taken from said patient, wherein said biomarker mRNAs comprise TRAF-interacting protein with a forkhead-associated domain (TIFA) mRNA, growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible gene (GADD45B) mRNA, major histocompatibility complex, class II, DR alpha (HLA-DRA) mRNA, carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) mRNA, oncostatin M (OSM) mRNA, and arginase, type II (ARG2) mRNA;
• and
• comparing said abundances of said biomarker mRNAs in said first blood sample to abundances of said biomarker mRNAs in (i) blood samples taken 0-36 hours prior to sepsis development in a SIRS-positive human patient population that progresses to sepsis, and (ii) blood samples taken from a SIRS-positive human patient population that does not progress to sepsis;
• wherein an increased likelihood of developing sepsis is predicted in the SIRS patient when it is determined that the biomarker mRNA abundances in the first blood sample are statistically significantly similar to the biomarker mRNA abundances in the blood samples taken from the SIRS-positive human patient population that progresses to sepsis;
• wherein a decreased likelihood of developing sepsis is predicted in the SIRS patient when it is determined that the mRNA abundances in the first blood sample are statistically significantly similar to the mRNA abundances in the blood samples taken from the SIRS-positive human patient population that does not progress to sepsis;
• and
• wherein said SIRS-positive human patient population that progresses to sepsis and said SIRS-positive human patient human population that does not progress to sepsis each comprises at least 20 individuals.