title: Do antibiotics clear bladder infections?
abstract: An examination of transitional bladder epithelial cells from 69 urine specimens from 23 spinal cord injury patients showed the presence of adherent bacterial biofilms in 66 cases (96%). All patients were receiving antimicrobial therapy, primarily trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (41 of 69), without any apparent effect on the bladder colonization. The large number of bacteria that emerged with highly virulent and potentially multi-drug resistant characteristics, especially Enterococcus faecalis (33% of isolates), was of concern. These findings raise questions about the proved efficacy and effectiveness of antibiotics against uropathogenic biofilms adherent to tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000382:microbiology; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination