Study sheds new light on urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women

Published on: August 08, 2019 By: Staff Reports

Urinary Tract NR - Header — From left, Drs. Kim Orth, Nicole De Nisco and Philippe Zimmern look over samples of bacteria from their study that found several species of bacterial invaded bladder walls in recurrent urinary tract infections.

Graphic illustrating inflamation from a Urinary Tract infection

A UT Southwestern study suggests why urinary tract infections (UTIs) have such a high recurrence rate in postmenopausal women – several species of bacteria can invade the bladder walls.

UTI treatment is the most common reason for antibiotic prescriptions in older adults. Because of the prevalence of UTIs, the societal impact is high and treatment costs billions of dollars annually.

Recurrent UTI (RUTI) reduces quality of life, places a significant burden on the health care system, and contributes to antimicrobial resistance, said Dr. Kim Orth, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at UTSW and senior author of the study, published in the Journal of Molecular Biology.

Read the full story in the UT Southwestern Newsroom.

Dr. Orth holds the Earl A. Forsythe Chair in Biomedical Science and is a W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research.

Dr. Zimmern holds the Felecia and John Cain Chair in Women’s Health, in his honor.