Antibiotic plus Chitosan can Cure Urinary Tract Infections
Shellfish extracts along with antibiotics can cure urinary tract infections (UTI), according to a study.
Microbiologists from the University of Utah found that the compound chitosan along with antibiotics helps remove the bacteria settled inside the bladder. For the study, experts used a mouse model to test the efficacy of the drug. They administered chitosan inside the mice's bladder for almost 20 minutes. The mice also received an antibiotic called fluoroquinolones once a week.
It was found that chitosan released compounds that flaked off infected parts or 'bacterial reservoir' in the inner surfaces of the bladder by pushing them to areas where antibiotics could attack them. Chitosan are drug carriers that are extracted from shellfish exfoliate the bladder surfaces without harming the other parts.
Matthew Blango, study author and researcher from the University of Utah said in a press release, "Antibiotics don't do a good job of getting rid of reservoir populations. But when augmented with chitosan, there was a significant reduction in the level of bacteria in mouse bladders."
A week following the trial, authors noted no presence of bacteria inside the mouse bladders and the areas scrubbed off by chitosan were reconstructed.
Urinary tract infections are caused when Uropathogeic bacteria called Escherichia coli found in stools gets transmitted to the urinary tract. The bacteria flourish by penetrating to the deep layers and tissue surface of the bladder where it remains undisturbed by antibiotic and medications. These repeatedly cause infections and irritation in the tract. Women are more susceptible UTI and nearly, one in five women is likely to suffer from UTI at during her life time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data suggests about 4 million hospital emergency cases is due to UTI. The estimated annual expenditure on treatment of UTI amounts to $1 billion in the U.S, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Experts believe further investigation is required before concluding the potency of the drug in treating UTI in humans.
More information is available in the journal PLOS ONE.
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