When comparing patients at severe sepsis with patients at septic shock, it was found that expression of TREM-1 on neutrophils was further decreased in the event of septic shock within patients with intrabdominal infection (P = 0.049 compared with severe sepsis) and within patients with VAP/HAP (P = 0.009 compared with severe sepsis). Here, TREM1 is linked to septic shock.