UTI?

[leviathan]

This is a really silly question, but what part of the urinary tract is infected in a UTI? We're learning about the most common causes of non-gonococcal urethritis and then it made me wonder, how is this different from the most common causes of UTIs?

[Cole]

NGU is specifically a urethral infection and tends to be secondary to a bug called Ureaplasma urealyticum. UTIs can be at any level of the UT.

Chlamydia causes a urethritis, but can ascend and cause cervicitis/salpingitis/oophritis/hepatitis and also orchitis in men. Simple UTIs from gram negative pathogens cause generally cystitis in women, but can also ascend and form ureteral abscesses, pyelonephritis and then renal abscesses. So in short, any part of the UT can be affected.

[leviathan]

Dumb question #2 to clarify, just because I am a purist when it comes to using terms properly: Is urethritis considered a UTI then?

[Cole]

Hi Lev,

Yes, what we sometimes call a distal UTI.....it mostly presents with dysuria, increased frequency and hesitancy.

[leviathan]

Hi Lev,

Yes, what we sometimes call a distal UTI.....it mostly presents with dysuria, increased frequency and hesitancy.

Hahaha ok, good to know. It came up today in a study group by 2 other people, so I guess I wasn't the only one who needed this distinction cleared up. Bacteriology all done, exam on Monday. Any clinical pearls or good examples of cases you can think of? We will be tested on anything from presentation, diagnosis / culturing, antibiotic or other treatment, epidemiology, virulence factors of the disease, etc.