Table 3.

Proposed research priorities for study of the interaction between the gut microbiome and sepsis

Current knowledge gap:	Studies should address:
The role of gut microbiome alteration on sepsis predisposition	• Longitudinal microbiome changes in groups at high risk for sepsis
	• Microbiome characteristics that indicate high risk for sepsis, including whether these can be used for prediction/diagnosis
	• Mechanisms linking increase or decrease of specific taxa to sepsis risk
	• How gut microbiome alterations with loss of protective taxa impacts immune dysregulation predisposing to sepsis
	• Impact of SCFAs on protection from sepsis
	• If altering the gut microbiome can decrease sepsis risk
How the gut microbiome impacts sepsis outcomes	• Correlation of markers of gut microbiome alteration with end-organ dysfunction and mortality
	• Whether specific patterns of alteration can predict adverse outcomes in sepsis
	• Gut microbiome changes that contribute to dysregulated immune responses of sepsis
	• Role of pathobionts and antibiotic resistance genes in antibiotic selection
Whether microbiome-directed therapeutics can impact sepsis outcomes	• Which patients with microbiome alteration may benefit from attempting to restore the gut microbiome to lower risk of sepsis
	• Which patients with sepsis may benefit from microbiome-directed therapeutics to improve sepsis outcomes
	• The ideal method of gut microbiome therapeutics (i.e., probiotics, FMT)
	• The specific dose, timing, and frequency of FMT that may benefit patients in these groups

FMT fecal microbiota transplant, SCFA short-chain fatty acid