Anyone who has had a urinary tract infection knows how uncomfortable one can be, not to mention recurrent ones that cause frustration, pain and sometimes multiple visits to the doctor.
UTIs are one of the most common types of bacterial infections. They occur when bacteria from the skin or rectum enters the urethra, infecting the urinary tract and most commonly causing a bladder infection. More than half of women and more than 1 in 10 men will contract a UTI at some point in their lives. Recurring infections affect about 20-30% of people who get UTIs.
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The solution for urinary tract infections has been to try to kill them with oral antibiotics, but that has become more challenging with the rise of antibiotic resistance. More than 92% of bacteria that cause UTIs are resistant to at least one common antibiotic, according to a 2019 study.
A new oral vaccine spray may offer an alternative to antibiotic treatment, according to new research. The vaccine kept more than half of the participants in a study infection-free for nine years. The participants had previously suffered from repeated UTIs.
Researchers recently presented their findings at the European Association of Urology Congress in Paris and plan to publish the full study by the end of the year.
“Many of our participants told us that having the vaccine restored their quality of life,” said Dr. Bob Yang, a consultant urologist at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, who co-led the research carried out by clinicians at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the United Kingdom.
The vaccine is administered as a pineapple-flavored spray under the tongue every day for three months. About 40% of the study participants reported having repeat doses of the vaccine after one or two years.
The study involved 89 people who originally had participated in a clinical trial for the vaccine and been monitored for one year. In this broader, follow-up study, researchers analyzed the health records and interviewed the participants, 48 of whom remained infection-free nine years later.
“While we need to be pragmatic, this vaccine is a potential breakthrough in preventing UTIs and could offer a safe and effective alternative to conventional treatments,” said Gernot Bonkat, the European Association of Urology chairman of guidelines on urological infections.
UTI symptoms include pain or burning while urinating, frequent urination, feeling the need to urinate despite having an empty bladder, bloody urine and cramping in the groin and lower abdomen. Signs of a kidney infection may include fever, chills, nausea or vomiting and pain in the side or lower back.