It seems that healthcare experts may have created a solution for the problem, however, thanks to a new series of studies which have uncovered a potential vaccine to combat the condition.
Specialists at the University of Michigan believe they have created the first vaccine to prevent urinary tract infections, as long as the immunity achieved in mice can be reproduced in humans.
In order to do so, a team led by Dr Harry Mobley used a systematic approach combining bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics to look for key parts of E coli that could be used in a vaccine to elicit an effective immune response.
The scientists at the facility then screened 5,379 possible bacterial proteins and identified three strong candidates to use in a vaccine to prime the body to fight E coli, which is the cause of most uncomplicated urinary tract infections.
Dr Mobley told medical health insurance customers that the vaccine prevented infection and produced key types of immunity when tested in mice.
As urinary tract infections are responsible for millions of lost work hours a year in the UK, as well as causing sufferers intense discomfort, the team had been attempting to formulate a vaccine for over two years.
Now they believe they are at a stage where initial findings can be transferred to human subjects. “This latest potential vaccine has features that may better its chances of success. It alerts the immune system to iron receptors on the surface of bacteria that perform a critical function allowing infection to spread,” the experts explained.
