Male infectious agent hiding

2003/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

Bladder infections are difficult to cure completely, often recurrent. Now, researchers have explained why in the journal Science. Most bladder infections come from Escherichia coli bacteria.

(Photo: S.J. Hultgren / Science).

They are very common, especially in women, and although they are easily treatable with antibiotics, they are sometimes recurrent. In these cases, there is a risk that the disease will spread to the kidney, so researchers have been trying to find out how the bacteria escape antibiotics and the immune system.

To find out, researchers at the University of Washington (USA) have infected mice with bacteria. They then microscopically analyze mice bladders and discover that their skin is full of crusts. Bacteria are stored in these stools.

Inside the tanned, the bacteria are covered by extensions called pili and in a network of fibers. This allows to maintain immune system attacks and antibiotics. On the other hand, this structure is similar to that of biofilms that form some bacteria in medical devices, but in this case it appears in living cells. With all this, researchers hope to find an effective way to eliminate bacteria.