Skip to main content
MJH Life Sciences
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
Home
  • Topics
  • Blog
  • Image IQ
MJH Life Sciences

SUBSCRIBE: eNewsletter

Antibiotic Resistance in UTIs Explained

  • OBGYN.net Staff
December 29, 2014
  • Urogynecology, Infections ObGyn, Sexual Health

As the bacterium most often found in urinary tract infections (UTIs) becomes resistant to antibiotics, researchers are seeking a new target for treating the infections.

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School say they have found the specific genes expressed by the Escherichia coli bacteria that is most frequently the cause of UTIs in otherwise healthy women. In identifying the E coli-specific genes, the researchers say they can now focus on developing new therapies to fight UTI caused by E coli.

Key Points:

- Researchers have identified the E coli-specific genes that are commonly found in UTIs.

- The genomic sequencing points to why many common antibiotics are not working to treat common UTIs and offers insight into how to develop new, more effective therapies.

For the study, the researchers evaluated the bacterium of 42 women with UTI. Of those women, 7.7% had infections that were resistant to ciprofloxacin and 15.3% did not respond to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.

To the surprise of the scientists, the E coli genes appeared to be protecting the bacterium from the toxic effects of the metal ions that the body uses to fight infection. That means that the next steps should focus on blocking this protective function by identifying new microbial agents for potential therapies, the authors said.

While helpful in designing new translational research, this latest study does not have direct clinical applications. The findings were published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Related Articles

  • Simple Intervention Helps Prevent Newborn Deaths
  • Poll: Do You Talk About CMV Prevention?
  • HPV Vaccine Not Linked to Unsafe Sex
  • SMFM: Measles Exposure in Pregnant Women
  • Condom Use Doesn't Explain HIV and Depo-Provera Link
Connect with Us
  • Column 1
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Column 2
    • Editorial Info
    • Editorial Board
  • Column 3
    • Advertising Info
    • Reprints
    • Advertising Terms
  • Column 4
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
Modern Medicine Network
© UBM 2019, All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.

We've noticed that you're using an ad blocker

Our content is brought to you free of charge because of the support of our advertisers. To continue enjoying our content, please turn off your ad blocker.

It's off now Dismiss How do I disable my ad blocker?
❌

How to disable your ad blocker for our site:

Adblock / Adblock Plus
  • Click on the AdBlock / AdBlock Plus icon on the top right of your browser.
  • Click “Don’t run on pages on this domain.” OR “Enabled on this site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Firefox Tracking Prevention
  • If you are Private Browsing in Firefox, "Tracking Protection" may casue the adblock notice to show. It can be temporarily disabled by clicking the "shield" icon in the address bar.
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Ghostery
  • Click the Ghostery icon on your browser.
  • In Ghostery versions < 6.0 click “Whitelist site.” in version 6.0 click “Trust site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
uBlock / uBlock Origin
  • Click the uBlock / uBlock Origin icon on your browser.
  • Click the “power” button in the menu that appears to whitelist the current website
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".