scholarly journals The role of antimicrobial peptides in defending the urinary tract against infections

2019 ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. N. Zakharova ◽  
I. M. Osmanov ◽  
L. Ya. Klimov ◽  
A. N. Kasyanova ◽  
V. A. Kuryaninova ◽  
...  

With antibiotic resistance increasing and new microbial resistance factors forming, the problem of creating new methods to treat and prevent the urinary tract infections becomes topical. The latest studies showed that urothelium contains a large number of immune factors providing its protection against the adverse effects of various uropathogens in vivo. There are very promising molecules – antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) – in terms of further therapeutic use among the components of inborn immunity. AMPs are the evolutionarily oldest molecules of innate immunity. The article discusses current data on the presence of various classes of AMPs in the urinary system, demonstrates data on their effectiveness as therapeutic agents against UTI, and describes further prospects for their use in the GP practice.

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 7588-7596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Snyder ◽  
Brian J. Haugen ◽  
C. Virginia Lockatell ◽  
Nathalie Maroncle ◽  
Erin C. Hagan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Uropathogenic Escherichia coli is the most common etiological agent of urinary tract infections. Bacteria can often express multiple adhesins during infection in order to favor attachment to specific niches within the urinary tract. We have recently demonstrated that type 1 fimbria, a phase-variable virulence factor involved in adherence, was the most highly expressed adhesin during urinary tract infection. Here, we examine whether the expression of type 1 fimbriae can affect the expression of other adhesins. Type 1 fimbrial phase-locked mutants of E. coli strain CFT073, which harbors genes for numerous adhesins, were employed in this study. CFT073-specific DNA microarray analysis of these strains demonstrates that the expression of type 1 fimbriae coordinately affects the expression of P fimbriae in an inverse manner. This represents evidence for direct communication between genes relating to pathogenesis, perhaps to aid the sequential occupation of different urinary tract tissues. While the role of type 1 fimbriae during infection has been clear, the role of P fimbriae must be further defined to assert the relevance of coordinated regulation in vivo. Therefore, we examined the ability of P fimbrial isogenic mutants, constructed in a type 1 fimbrial-negative background, to compete in the murine urinary tract over a period of 168 h. No differences in the colonization of these mutants were observed. However, comparison of these results with previous studies suggests that inversely coordinated expression of adhesin gene clusters does occur in vivo. Interestingly, the mutant that was incapable of expressing either type 1 or P fimbriae compensated by synthesizing F1C fimbriae.


Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Tomislav Meštrović ◽  
Mario Matijašić ◽  
Mihaela Perić ◽  
Hana Čipčić Paljetak ◽  
Anja Barešić ◽  
...  

The current paradigm of urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogenesis takes into account the contamination of the periurethral space by specific uropathogens residing in the gut, which is followed by urethral colonization and pathogen ascension to the urinary bladder. Consequently, studying the relationship between gut microbiota and the subsequent development of bacteriuria and UTI represents an important field of research. However, the well-established diagnostic and therapeutic paradigm for urinary tract infections (UTIs) has come into question with the discovery of a multifaceted, symbiotic microbiome in the healthy urogenital tract. More specifically, emerging data suggest that vaginal dysbiosis may result in Escherichia coli colonization and prompt recurrent UTIs, while urinary microbiome perturbations may precede the development of UTIs and other pathologic conditions of the urinary system. The question is whether these findings can be exploited for risk reduction and treatment purposes. This review aimed to appraise the three aforementioned specific microbiomes regarding their potential influence on UTI development by focusing on the recent studies in the field and assessing the potential linkages between these different niches, as well as evaluating the state of translational research for novel therapeutic and preventative approaches.


2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
E.P. Van Haarst ◽  
E.B. Cornel ◽  
B.L. Ronkes ◽  
E.A. Heldeweg

1981 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 738-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Massoud

The treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) has become a complex problem for the clinical practitioner. An understanding of the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and in vivo biological activity of antimicrobial agents is needed, as is an understanding of the variables that may influence patient compliance with medication regimens. Although UTIs are usually treated for 10 to 14 days, shorter treatment schedules of seven to ten days or even single-dose regimens are possible. Guidelines for the treatment of UTIs are presented along with suggestions for increased patient compliance.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 2343-2351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Komp Lindgren ◽  
Linda L. Marcusson ◽  
Dorthe Sandvang ◽  
Niels Frimodt-Møller ◽  
Diarmaid Hughes

ABSTRACT Resistance to fluoroquinolones in urinary tract infection (UTIs) caused by Escherichia coli is associated with multiple mutations, typically those that alter DNA gyrase and DNA topoisomerase IV and those that regulate AcrAB-TolC-mediated efflux. We asked whether a fitness cost is associated with the accumulation of these multiple mutations. Mutants of the susceptible E. coli UTI isolate Nu14 were selected through three to five successive steps with norfloxacin. Each selection was performed with the MIC of the selected strain. After each selection the MIC was measured; and the regions of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE, previously associated with resistance mutations, and all of marOR and acrR were sequenced. The first selection step yielded mutations in gyrA, gyrB, and marOR. Subsequent selection steps yielded mutations in gyrA, parE, and marOR but not in gyrB, parC, or acrR. Resistance-associated mutations were identified in almost all isolates after selection steps 1 and 2 but in less than 50% of isolates after subsequent selection steps. Selected strains were competed in vitro, in urine, and in a mouse UTI infection model against the starting strain, Nu14. First-step mutations were not associated with significant fitness costs. However, the accumulation of three or more resistance-associated mutations was usually associated with a large reduction in biological fitness, both in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, in some lineages a partial restoration of fitness was associated with the accumulation of additional mutations in late selection steps. We suggest that the relative biological costs of multiple mutations may influence the evolution of E. coli strains that develop resistance to fluoroquinolones.


1993 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Faro

The most commonly sexually transmitted bacteria areNeisseria gonorrhoeaeandChlamydia trachomatis.The quinolones ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin have been shown to have activity against both of these bacteria in vitro and in vivo. Ofloxacin is particularly well suited for the treatment ofN. gonorrhoeaeandC. trachomatiscervical infection, which can be considered the earliest manifestation of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Not only can ofloxacin be effectively used as a single agent, it is also useful in treating urinary tract infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae. Although it has moderate activity against anaerobes in general, ofloxacin does have activity against the anaerobes commonly isolated from female patients with soft tissue pelvic infections. Thus, ofloxacin has the potential for being utilized to treat early salpingitis.


1997 ◽  
pp. 428-442
Author(s):  
Robert M. Weiss ◽  
Marcia A. Wheeler ◽  
Shannon D. Smith

Author(s):  
Anthony J. Schaeffer ◽  
Nithya Rajan ◽  
E. Thorburn Wright ◽  
James L. Duncan ◽  
Byron E. Anderson

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