 Sepsis is a severe infection is the leading cause of death in critically ill patients 1. Zinc deficiency impairs overall immune function and resistance to infection 2. In vitro exposure of monocytes to lipopolysaccharide LPS leads to decreased cellular zinc content 3 and zinc redistribution has been shown in human volunteers in response to LPS 4. Zinc depletion occurs in hospitalized patients including those with infections, the elderly, alcoholics, trauma or burns 5-8, conditions which are common among critically ill patients with sepsis. In a mouse model of sepsis, zinc depletion prior to sepsis resulted in more inflammation and more severe organ injury and increased mortality 9. In patients with sepsis, early feeding with zinc resulted in faster recovery of organ function compared with control 10. Zinc status is likely to be compromised in the critically ill and that zinc depletion may affect inflammatory responses and recovery. 