Research shows how E. coli causes urinary tract infections

NEW DELHI: A team of scientists has discovered how the bacteria Escherichia coli, or E. coli, can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs) in healthy people.

Women are more susceptible to urinary tract infections than men and almost half of them will experience uncomfortable and often painful symptoms at some point in their lives.

It usually occurs in the bladder or urethra and causes pelvic pain, increased urge to urinate, painful urination, and blood in the urine. It can also lead to serious infections in the kidneys, causing back pain, nausea, vomiting and fever.

The study published in the journal PNAS examined how E. coli uses nutrients from the host to reproduce at an extraordinarily fast pace during an infection.

The team from the University of Michigan in the US used mouse models to decode the bacteria’s mechanism.

They identified bacterial genes that could be important for establishing infections by looking at mutant strains that were not as good at replicating in the mouse models.

The team found a group of genes that control transport systems and that, if inhibited, could help stop the rapid growth of E.coli.

“If bacteria need something to grow, for example an amino acid, they can get it in two ways,” says Harry Mobley, professor of microbiology and immunology at the university’s medical school.

“They can make it themselves, or they can steal it from their host using what we call a transport system,” he added.

Furthermore, the team also found a type of transporter called ABC (for ATP-binding cassette) that is essential for infection.

“Many bacterial strains lacking these nutrient import systems were defective for growth on the bladder and kidneys,” the team said.

The findings open avenues for the development of new therapies – which is especially important in an era of increasing antibiotic resistance.