For instance, Proteus mirabilis produces urease, an enzyme that hydrolyzes urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide. While poorly studied, there are multiple factors that could potentially alter the urine pH of patients with a UTI, including blood pH, diabetes, dehydration, ketosis, drugs, and renal function, as well as factors related to the infecting microorganism. Reports correlating urine pH with urine culture data from ED patients with UTIs are lacking. 1,3-5Īlthough the urine pH level is frequently assessed in urinalysis, it is rarely considered in the management of a patient with a UTI.
1,2 In the United States, UTIs account for approximately 1% of all outpatient clinic visits and about 2 to 3 million ED visits annually. Urinary tract infections (UTIs), one of the most common human bacterial infections, affect approximately 150 million people annually worldwide. The influence of urinary pH on antibiotic efficacy against bacterial uropathogens. Yang L, Wang K, Li H, Denstedt JD, Cadieux PA. Proteus mirabilis and urinary tract infections. Merging mythology and morphology: the multifaceted lifestyle of Proteus mirabilis. Pathogenesis of Proteus mirabilis urinary tract infection. The epidemiology of urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infection syndromes: occurrence, recurrence, bacteriology, risk factors, and disease burden. Ambulatory medical care utilization estimates for 2007.
Urinary tract infections: disease panorama and challenges. Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Flores-Mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ.