Biomarkers for UTI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identification of urinary biomarkers to direct management of urinary tract infection for elderly people with bacteriuria
IRAS ID
121656
Contact name
Lauren Drage
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
R&D Officer
Research summary
It is very common to find bacteria in the urine of older people whether or not the person has symptoms of an active urinary tract infection (UTI). This makes it difficult for doctors to decide whether to treat the bacteria with antibiotics. Getting this decision right is important because the bacterium that most often causes UTI, Escherichia coli (E. coli), is increasingly resistant to antibiotics. We want to find out if there are any substances in the urine of people whose bladder is colonised with bacteria that might predict when these bacteria change from being in a harmless state (asymptomatic bacteriuria) to causing an active infection. If we can find any such substances then they can be studied further in future research to develop a simple urine test that can be used in people’s homes.
For this preliminary research we need to collect regular urine samples from at least 30 older people who frequently have bacteria in their urine. We aim to collect urine samples every two weeks for six months. We will identify and test the activity of any bacteria in the urine and also measure the levels of substances that the cells lining the bladder wall make to defend against infection.
We will then compare these levels with the patient’s symptoms to see if we can find a measurement that corresponds to the ‘tipping point’ between harmless colonization and active infection.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NE/0026
Date of REC Opinion
12 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion