Flagellin May Be Key In Stimulating Body's Natural Defences Against Urinary Tract Infections

A new study by British scientists reveals that motile Escherichia coli isolates demonstrated significant activation of NF-(Kappa)B signaling suggesting that flagellin plays a key role in up-regulating the host innate defences against urinary tract infections (UTIs).

UTIs are commonly caused by Escherichia coli. The host innate defences function to protect the uro-epithelium from microbial assault via a variety of mechanisms. These include NF-κB signalling pathways activated via cell-surface Toll-like-receptors responding to bacterial pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Flagellin, a protein responsible for bacterial motility, is a key activating PAMP.

The study, conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at Newcastle University in the UK, investigated the motility of 24 clinical isolates associated with UTIs and their ability to activate NF-kB. The scientists aimed to examine the relationship between flagellin expression and host response.

"Research into the causes and treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) is vital at this time as the incidence of UTI and bacteriuria are increasing with an aging population," commented Mr. Ased Ali of Newcastle University's Institute of Cellular Medicine and the study's presenting author.

"There is rapidly growing resistance exhibited by organisms, especially E. coli, to conventional antimicrobials which makes infections potentially more and more difficult to treat," he explained. "This is confounded by the fact that there have been no new classes of antibiotics to treat Gram-negative bacilli like E. coli for more than 40 years. It is amazing that the fluoroquinolones were the last new class of antibiotics to treat Gram-negative bacilli! Our ultimate aim is to develop agents that enhance the immune response and help the body defend itself better as an alternative to conventional antibiotics which work against the pathogen alone."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/257748.php

Being someone who has suffered from ongoing UTI's for the last few years and also have a history of having interstitial cystitis of the bladder I have looked into this quite a bit.

A couple years back I spoke with a urologist who was telling me about women who are suffering from reccurent UTI's and some of these infections Cannot even be picked up via the standard urine culture anymore which is very concerning. I know for me personally I know when I have a infection. Sometimes it shows in the urine culture, but a lot of times it does not, yet with treatment I get better. But now a lot of the antibiotics are not even working. Bacteria ( especially e-coli) have evolved and developed bio-films that work as a shield. It cloaks them and makes it hard if not impossible to detect them in our primitive urine culturing system. It is a big problem that is only going to get worse. Unfortunately a lof of this has to do with the overuse of antibiotics, especially in farm animals. They just had a documentary on TV about how women who eat a lot of poultry( chicken mainly that is NOT organic), are coming down with antibiotic resistant urinary infections. I even think they are going to learn down the line that the bladder disease Interstitial Cystitis is caused by a hardy bacteria that has evolved and biofilms itself so it cannot be detected. Bacteria is going to be the downfall of this world, wait and see. They are intellegent little buggers. They also can evolve a thousand times quicker than we can.

The development of antibiotics was the beginning of the downfall for the human race. I mean dont get me wrong, they are the blessing and the curse. They have saved many lives, but it is all going to backfire on us eventually. It already is. Bacteria that once were not so virulent are so deadly now. If something does not change or the researchers and scientists do not come up with something, you will see people dropping dead from what were once considered simple non threatening infections....Pretty scary stuff.