Last updated: January 16, 2023, 9:44 AM IST
When studying women taking estrogen therapy, a clear contrast was seen.
Postmenopausal women are more susceptible to this bacteria. The study also found that the female sex hormone estrogen may be vital in reducing that sensitivity.
A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is an infection that occurs when bacteria enter your urinary tract — kidneys, bladder, or urethra. The Urological Care Foundation has determined that UTIs affect more than 8.1 million people each year. About 60 percent of women and 12 percent of men are likely to have at least one UTI in their lifetime. A study conducted by the University of Texas at Dallas found that a specific bacteria in the bladder may indicate recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Postmenopausal women are more susceptible to this bacteria. The study also found that the female sex hormone estrogen may be vital in reducing that sensitivity.
“What we found is that those women who are in between infections — those with a history of recurrent UTIs but currently UTI negative — had a microbiome that was teeming with microorganisms that could cause urinary tract disease while having fewer good bacteria. had,” said Michael Neugent, the paper’s first author. He is also a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Nicole De Nisco, assistant professor of biological sciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
When studying women taking estrogen therapy, a clear contrast was seen. They didn’t have the “bad” bacteria in their bladders. Researchers have concluded that the more estrogen found in the urine, the more good bacteria, such as Lactobacilli, predominate in the microbiome.
This is crucial because the microbiomes of the women with recurrent urinary tract infections have been found to contain more genes for antibiotic resistance than their counterparts. These antibiotic resistance genes can be exchanged between cells. It creates the perfect environment for resistance to spread quickly through a bacterial population. This makes the infections more difficult to treat.
Dr. De Nisco has hit the biggest roadblock in treating UTI. It has been found that while antibiotics have been somewhat effective in fighting disease-causing bacteria, prescribed when they are not needed can accelerate antibiotic resistance.
Dr. Kelli Palmer, an associate professor of biological sciences at UTD, has said this study is groundbreaking because it focuses on an often overlooked demographic, namely the postmenopausal women. Dr. De Nisco and her team conducted this five-year longitudinal study to track the microbiomes of postmenopausal women over time. Their subjects included both those experiencing recurrent UTIs and others with no UTI history.
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