Urinary tract infections are the second most common reason for antibiotic prescriptions, and the bacteria that cause them, usually E. coli, are notoriously difficult to dislodge. New research from Nature Communications reveals the bacteria use a grappling hook-like protein to bind to cells in the urinary tract. Each time a UTI patient urinates, the protein actually helps the bacteria dig in further to withstand the force that might yank it free.
The study, which is the first to reveal the structure of the FimH protein that bacteria use to dig into human cells in the urethra, showed that hooks grip tightly to sugar molecules on human cells and tighten their grip to withstand the flow of urine.
The researchers suggest pursuing anti-adhesive drugs that target the FimH protein could produce effective methods of dislodging UTI bacteria, and potentially reduce the burden of antibiotic prescriptions for one of the most common hospital-acquired infections.