What characterizes septic shock?

Septic shock is characterized primarily by the presence of an underlying infection that can lead to systemic inflammatory response, resulting in a significant drop in blood pressure and other severe symptoms. When bacteria multiply in the blood, this can lead to sepsis, which is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's response to infection injures its tissues and organs. Septic shock is the most severe form of sepsis, marked by profound hypotension and multiple organ failure. The other options describe conditions that do not typically relate to septic shock. For instance, a severe allergic reaction would involve an immune response but not necessarily an infection, low body temperature might suggest various other medical conditions, and the absence of a bacterial infection would not be consistent with septic shock, which explicitly requires the presence of pathogens in the bloodstream.