Abstract: Methods for diagnosis of sepsis very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are disclosed. The diagnostic methods for sepsis are based on determining whether a bodily fluid sample, such as a urine sample, contains an amount of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) protein that exceeds or is less than a certain threshold level, or that falls within a certain range. The present invention also provides methods for monitoring the progression of sepsis, methods for monitoring sepsis treatment, methods of distinguishing between true-positive and false culture-positive sepsis, and kits for diagnosing sepsis in VLBW infants.