Microbial Diseases Of The Urinary and Reproductive Systems |
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Urethritis, cystitis, and ureteritis are terms describing inflammations of tissues of the lower urinary tract.
Pyelonephritis can result from lower urinary tract infections or from systemic bacterial infections.
Opportunistic gram-negative bacteria from the intestines, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus often cause urinary tract infections.
Nosocomial infections following catheterization occur in the urinary system (35% of all nosocomial infections occur in the urinary tract). E. coli causes more than half of these infections.
Predisposing Factors include nervous system disorders, toxemia, diabetes mellitus, and obstructions to urine flow.
More than 100,000 bacteria per ml of urine or 100 coliforms per ml of urine indicates an infection.
Treatment of urinary tract infections depends on the isolation and antibiotic sensitivity testing of the causative agents.
Inflammation of the urinary bladder, or cystitis, is common in females because of a short urethra.
Contributing factors include careless personal hygiene, sexual intercourse, and urinary tract infections.
Gram-negative rods are the most common cause.
Symptoms are dysuria and pyuria.
Treatment - antibiotics - type depends on the etiologic agent.
Inflammation of the kidneys is usually a complication of a lower urinary tract infection and involves nephrons and renal pelvis.
Etiologic agent is usually Escherichia coli (75%).
Chronic condition causes formation of scar tissue.
Treatment: Antibiotics
The disease is caused by the spirochete Leptospira interrogans and is transmitted to humans by urine-contaminated water.
Leptospirosis is characterized by chills, fever, headache, jaundice.
Diagnosis is based on isolation and identification by serological tests.
Treatment is usually with penicillin, but it is often not satisfactory.
Leptospira interrogans