title: Epidemiology of urinary tract infections: transmission and risk factors, incidence, and costs.
abstract: Uropathogenic E. coli have special features that allow them to take advantage of the bladder environment. There UPEC can grow to substantial numbers in pure culture that are shed frequently into the environment and have a high probability of transmission to other hosts. A better understanding of the transmission system and the host and bacterial factors influencing transmission is essential for the identification of effective prevention strategies. Although the risk of severe morbidity among otherwise healthy populations is low, the incidence is high. Further, the potential impact of antibiotic treatment on the emergence of increasingly antibiotic-resistant UPEC (the resistant mechanisms that may be transmitted to other bowel inhabitants) is high. The benefits of successfully preventing UTI are substantial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 Observatory Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. Bfoxman@umich.edu
authors.forename: Betsy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Foxman
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents