Antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infections are on the rise

There is a global crisis of antibiotic resistance, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) may be the canary in the coal mine. UTIs are one of the most common types of infections; at least one in two women and one in 10 men will experience a UTI in their lifetime. Like many human infections, UTIs are usually caused by bacteria living on or in our bodies, and require treatment with antibiotics. What’s alarming the medical community now is that UTIs are becoming ever harder to treat with common antibiotics. Antibiotic overuse leads to antibiotic resistance At some point, most people have taken a course of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) or ciprofloxacin (Cipro), two common antibiotics used for UTIs. However, in the last few years it has become clear that the likelihood these antibiotics will kill most UTIs is dropping rapidly. You may have read the recent, frightening New York Times article reporting one in three uncomplicated UTIs in young healthy women are Bactrim-resistant and one in five are resistant to five other common antibiotics. Pretty scary, since we (the medical community) used to feel confident that writing a prescription for Bactrim was a sure recipe for cure. How is it that we are losing the antibiotic war with bacteria? Though many things drive bacterial resistance, giving antibiotics to animals and antibiotic overuse in humans top the list. We use a lot of antibiotics in humans — too much, and not always for the right reasons. When we prescribe antibiot...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Drugs and Supplements Health Infectious diseases Kidney and urinary tract Women's Health Source Type: blogs