What is the difference between bacteraemia, septicaemia and toxaemia?
Question #51732. Asked by ranan.
triviasoprano
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triviasoprano 20 year member
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According to the Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary:
Bacteremia is the usual transient presence of bacteria in the blood.
Septicemia is the invasion of the bloodstream by virulent microorganisms from a local seat of infection accompanied especially by chills, fever, and prostration; also called blood poisoning.
Toxemia is an abnormal condition associated with toxic substances in the blood.
So it seems that bacteremia is solely the presence of bacteria in the blood, while septicemia is the presence of microoranisms leaking into the bloodstream as a result of an infection elsewhere in the body, and toxemia is toxic substances in the bloodstream.
