Abstract: The invention discloses a method for identifying a subset of polynucleotides from an initial set of polynucleotides corresponding to the human genome for the in vitro determination of severity of the host response of a patient having a severe infectious and/or inflammatory condition, in a sample, a measuring device comprising a plurality of different gene probes which represent the entire human genome, the test persons, depending on their infectious and/or inflammatory status, are divided into at least two clinically determined phenotype groups, changes of the gene expression signals between the phenotype groups are compared statistically, and gene probes are selected based on the gene expression signals which have significantly changed statistically between at least two phenotype groups.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of defined polynucleotides to form at least one multi-gene biomarker for producing a multiplex assay as a tool for in vitro detection and/or early detection and/or differentiation and/or progress monitoring and/or evaluation of pathophysiological conditions of a patient, the pathophysiological condition selected from the group consisting of: SIRS, sepsis and its degrees of severity; sepsis-like conditions, septic shock, bacteremia, infective/non-infectious multiorgan failure, early detection of these conditions; focus control, control of surgical rehabilitation of the infection focus; responders/non-responders for a specific therapy, treatment monitoring; distinction between infectious and non-infectious etiology of systemic reactions of the organism, such as SIRS, sepsis, postoperative complications, chronic and/or acute organ dysfunction, shock response, inflammatory response and/or trauma.