UTIs

Viruses may get a bad rap, but some of them can be helpful to fight off bacterial infections. Scientists at ETH Zurich have demonstrated a new way to use them to diagnose which bacteria is causing a UTI, and then launch a stronger attack against them.Bacteriophages (or just phages) are a type of virus that preys on bacteria. About a century ago they emerged as a promising way to fight off infections, but research fell flat as soon as penicillin was invented. However, as bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to…

Newly updated research suggests that cranberries really can help some people avoid urinary tract infections. The research, a review of existing clinical trial data, found enough evidence to support the use of cranberry-based products to prevent UTIs in women with recurrent infections, children, and people with a known higher risk of UTI. At the same time, it did not find strong evidence for its use with other groups, such as the elderly and those who are pregnant.If An AI Reworks Copyrighted Images, Is It Art? | Future…

About half of women and more than one in 10 men will get a urinary tract infection (UTI) in their lifetime, with many people experiencing recurrent UTIs. These common bacterial infections, which can lead to painful urination, have been easily treated and cured with antibiotics for decades. But as a result of antibiotic resistance—when bacteria become resistant to the medicines used to treat them—a number of antibiotics routinely employed for UTIs have become ineffective, leading to more severe illness, hospitalizations…

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common and treatable, but there can be complications, especially when the bacteria become drug resistant. Now, a new drug combo has shown promise in a Phase 3 clinical trial.UTIs are often cleared up with a round of antibiotics, but other risk factors can make them more complicated. This includes urinary obstructions, catheters, fever or sepsis, all of which can make it harder to kill off the infection. Worse still, the bacteria involved are increasingly developing resistance to…

Huge clumps of E. coli (red) infecting diabetic mouse bladder. Credit: Soumitra MohantyBoth type 1 and type 2 diabetes are associated with lowered immunity and recurrent infections. Scientists at Karolinska Institute in Sweden have discovered that the immune system of people with diabetes has lower levels of the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin. This compromises the urinary bladder’s cell barrier, increasing the risk of urinary tract infection.Diabetes is a common disease that affects health in many ways. It results from a…

If you've ever had a urinary tract infection (UTI) before, you know what a pain it can be. Not just because of the physical pains it causes, but because it can also be such a pain to go to the doctor, provide a urine sample, and wait for your results.UTIs are extremely common, with nearly half of women getting one at some point in their lifetime. In order to test for a UTI, a urine sample needs to be sent to a hospital microbiology lab.There, they will look for bacteria that cause infections and check if these bacteria…