![]() These model systems are revealing how UPEC strains can avoid or overcome host defenses and acquire scarce nutrients while also providing insight into the virulence mechanisms used by UPEC within compromised individuals, such as catheterized patients. Surrogate models of human infection, including cell culture systems and the use of murine, porcine, avian, teleost (zebrafish), and nematode hosts, are being employed to define host and bacterial factors that modulate the pathogenesis of UTIs. ![]() ![]() The need for more-effective treatments for UTIs is driving research aimed at bettering our understanding of the virulence mechanisms and host-pathogen interactions that occur during the course of these infections. This problem is compounded by the drastic increase in the global incidence of antibiotic-resistant UPEC strains over the past 15 years. An especially troubling feature of UPEC-associated UTIs is their high rate of recurrence. UTIs can be caused by a variety of microbes, but the predominant etiologic agent of these infections is uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are some of the most common bacterial infections worldwide and are a source of substantial morbidity among otherwise healthy women. ![]()
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