A potentially fatal blood infection is worsening the condition of former Indonesian dictator Suharto following an announcement last week that he had suffered multiple organ failure.

Members of the presidential medical team said Tuesday that the ailing autocrat was developing sepsis, a full-body inflammation that can lead to a deadly malfunction of the blood circulatory system. Suharto's heart has become unstable as a result.

"The signs of infection are clearly leading to sepsis," Dr. Joko Raharjo told reporters at the Pertamina Hospital in the capital, Jakarta.

At a press conference last Friday, doctors said they did not know how long the 86-year-old would live after he suffered the multiple organ failure.

While he initially showed signs of recovery after being hospitalized the week before for anemia and a low heart rate, doctors eventually placed Suharto on a ventilator.

Dr. Marjo Subiandono said Tuesday Suharto was being treated with an intravenous anti-infection medication and other intensive care.

A series of strokes in recent years have left Suharto with permanent brain damage and impaired speech, which prevented him from facing a trial on charges of corruption and widespread human rights violations during his 30-year rule.

Indonesia's former authoritarian president has been accused of ordering a purge of more than a half-million opponents soon after seizing power in a 1965 coup, and is the alleged overseer of the invasion of East Timor in 1974.

Hundreds of thousands were killed or imprisoned during Suharto's time in power, prompting calls for legal action in spite of his ill health or even death.

With files from the Associated Press