Urinary tract infection (UTI) is among the most common infectious diseases of humans and is the most common nosocomial infection in the developed world.
They cause significant morbidity and mortality, with approximately 150 million cases globally per year. It is estimated that 40-50% of women and 5% of men will develop a UTI in their lifetime, and UTI accounts for more than 1 million hospitalizations and $1.6 billion in medical expenses each year in the USA. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) is the primary cause of UTI. This review presents an overview of the primary virulence factors of UPEC, the major host responses to infection of the urinary tract, the emergence of specific multidrug resistant clones of UPEC, antibiotic treatment options for UPEC-mediated UTI and the current state of vaccine strategies as well as other novel anti-adhesive and prophylactic approaches to prevent UTI. New and emerging themes in UPEC research are also discussed in the context of future outlooks.
Written by:
Totsika M, Moriel DG, Idris A, Rogers BA, Wurpel DJ, Phan MD, Paterson DL, Schembri MA. Are you the author?
School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Building 76 University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia.
Reference: Curr Drug Targets. 2012 May 28. Epub ahead of print.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22664092
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