Beomsoo Kim, Young-Sin Choi, Jun-Koo Kang, Yun-Sok Ha, Seock Hwan Choi, Bum Soo Kim, Hyun Tae Kim, Eun Sang Yoo, Tae Gyun Kwon, Jae-Wook Chung, Tae-Hwan Kim
Urogenit Tract Infect 2024;19(3):97-103. Published online December 31, 2024
Purpose This study conducted an epidemiological investigation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infections (UTIs) following cystoscopy at Chilgok Kyungpook National University Hospital.
Materials and Methods: From May 16 to July 15, 2022, among 353 patients who underwent cystoscopy, 6 patients reported febrile UTIs following cystoscopy. They were admitted to the urology department of the hospital after visiting the Emergency Department. P. aeruginosa was found in the urine cultures of 4 of the 6 hospitalized patients. During the epidemiological investigation, no changes were observed in factors such as the reprocessing procedures for endoscopic equipment. Therefore, microbiological tests were performed using environmental samples derived from the endoscopic equipment and cleaning process.
Results P. aeruginosa was identified in a dual-enzymatic detergent (EmPower) used during the endoscope cleaning process. After changing the disinfectant and cleaning process, no further bacterial growth was observed in subsequent microbiological tests.
Conclusions This study highlights the potential of cystoscopes to serve as reservoirs for bacteria due to inadequate cleaning during the disinfection process. To minimize the risk of infections following cystoscopy, it is important to pay close attention to the reprocessing and cleaning of cystoscopes.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are primarily caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), which frequently lead to recurrent infections. These bacteria utilize several strategies to establish infection in the host; in particular, virulence factors such as fimbriae and α-hemolysin facilitate persistent infection, evade host immune responses, and minimize antibiotic exposure. To date, antibiotics have been the primary treatment for UTIs. However, an increasing emphasis has been placed on the need for UTI vaccines, with mucosal vaccine products now available in several countries. Additionally, vaccines targeting intracellular UPEC, utilizing adjuvants, are currently under development. Understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of uropathogens has enabled the development of new treatment approaches, paving the way for next-generation preventive and therapeutic methods that could effectively manage recurrent UTIs in the future.
Urinary catheters are commonly used to address various urinary problems. However, the catheter itself can be a cause of several complications, including catheter-associated urinary tract infections, damage to the bladder and kidneys, and, in extremely rare cases, bladder perforation. We present a case of spontaneous bladder perforation in a patient who had a long-term indwelling intraurethral catheter. The patient with prior hypoxic brain damage suddenly developed tachypnea, tachycardia, and oxygen desaturation. Computed tomography and retrograde cystography revealed an extraperitoneal bladder perforation with an intra-pelvic abscess. Antibiotics were prescribed and a urinary catheter was inserted for drainage. After 11 weeks, the abscess resolved, and the catheter was removed to enable self-voiding. The perforation was attributed to chronic inflammation and distension of the bladder wall caused by the intraurethral catheter. Given the potential complications associated with long-term urinary catheterization, the timely removal of indwelling catheters should be considered.
Purpose: Patients with underlying diseases, particularly in the elderly, urinary tract obstruction with a ureter stone would progress to severe conditions. Some of them have poor general conditions to endure anesthesia. Therefore, this study validated the feasibility of ureteroscopic stone removal without anesthesia for elderly patients with ureter stones who were under impending septic conditions or severe urinary tract infections. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four patients (16 males and 18 females) were included in this study. All of them had serious problems, making it difficult to endure anesthesia. Most of them were inserted pre-operative percutaneous nephrostomy catheter, and ureteroscopic lithotripsy was performed successfully after intravenous analgesic injection (pethidine 25 mg). Results: The mean age was 71.8±10.84 years. The locations of the stones were upper ureter in 11, mid-ureter in 6, and lower ureter in 17 cases. Urine and blood cultures identified bacteria from 17/34 patients. Escherichia coli was the most common (10/17), followed in order by Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus epidermidis in 5 and 2 cases, respectively. Most patients had an abnormal white blood cell count (19,400±4,233.3/l) and elevated C-reactive protein levels (110.3±83.6 mg/L). No patient had to stop the operation because of intolerable pain. The mean of the visual analog pain scale was 3.2±0.86. The overall success rate was 100%. Conclusions: The trial of ureteroscopic lithotripsy after administering analgesics could improve the condition of elderly patients whose general condition is too poor to endure anesthesia without serious complications.
Postoperative infectious complications are a worrying problem for surgeons. Urological surgery has a higher risk of postoperative urinary tract infection than other surgeries because of the common use of various types of catheters. Due to the recent increase in antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial stewardship recommends using appropriate antibiotics for a suitable period. It is generally advocated that prescribing antibiotics in the absence of infection is equivalent to the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Based on numerous studies reported by several academic societies, appropriate use of antibiotics before surgery has been suggested. It was confirmed that using antibiotics according to these guidelines reduces the use of antibiotics without increasing the incidence of postoperative infectious complications. Furthermore, endourological surgery reports have proved the efficacy of antibiotics given once before surgery. Differences in antibiotic resistance by region must be taken into consideration when selecting the appropriate antibiotic type.
Purpose: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) often present with nonspecific symptoms in childhood and can result in serious complications. Therefore, it is imperative for the proper diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of this affliction. We first designed a valid and reliable questionnaire. Subsequently, the study evaluated the knowledge of family physicians regarding pediatric UTI. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the family physicians’ knowledge of pediatric UTIs. The face and content validity and reliability of the questionnaire were first evaluated in a pilot study. Subsequently, doctors were asked to complete the questionnaire and data-collecting form delivered at their workplace. Results: The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were deemed acceptable after omitting two questions. Cronbach's alpha of the final questionnaire was 0.71. More than 75% of the participants answered each question correctly. Approximately 50% of the physicians were post-graduates. Age was determined to be negatively correlated, and the "number of years of graduation" was positively correlated with the total score of the questionnaire. Conclusions: The designed questionnaire had acceptable validity and reliability. Moreover, family physicians’ knowledge of pediatric UTIs was found to be favorable.
The diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) relies on urine culture tests to identify aerobic or anaerobic urinary tract pathogens. This method has limitations in identifying anaerobic bacteria, and there is uncertainty in identifying all bacteria. A new next-generation sequencing (NGS) method has gradually helped overcome these limitations, and the microorganisms present in the human urinary tract are gradually being revealed. This review introduces studies on the microbiome analyzed using NGS of urine from patients with acute cystitis and recurrent UTIs and discusses whether NGS may reveal the pathophysiology of the disease.
Purpose: This study aimed to determine the treatment modality for prostatic abscesses according to size. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients diagnosed with prostatic abscesses were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were treated with intravenous empirical and appropriate antibiotics according to culture results. They were grouped according to the size of the prostate abscess based on computed tomography results (group A, with prostate abscess ≤2 cm, n=10; group B, with prostate abscess size >2 cm, n=15), and their treatment modality and outcomes were compared. Results: The prostatic abscess sizes were 1.31±0.37 and 3.49±1.06 cm for groups A and B, respectively. Prostate-specific antigen, prostatic volume, and comorbidity were not significantly different (p>0.05), whereas pelvic pain was significantly different (p=0.028). There was no difference in the microorganisms isolated from urine and blood culture, empirical antibiotics, and broad-spectrum antibiotics between the two groups (p>0.05). More patients in group B underwent transurethral abscess deroofing than those in group A (p=0.040). Patients in group B had a more extended hospitalization period and intravenous antibiotics duration than those in group A (p=0.024 and p=0.013, respectively). Group B had more cases of septic shock, intensive care unit admission, and mortality events than group A (p=0.024, p=0.001, and p=0.061, respectively). However, prostatic abscess recurrence and urological chronic complication did not significantly differ (p>0.05). Conclusions: Appropriate use of antibiotics is crucial. This study shows that the treatment of patients with prostatic abscess >2 cm is more difficult, but transurethral abscess deroofing can lower mortality, prostatic abscess recurrence, and urological chronic complications.
Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis and determine the risk factors of infectious complications after transurethral surgery of the prostate. Materials and Methods: Seven hundred and seventy-two patients who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HOLEP) were reviewed. Of these, this study enrolled 643 patients without bacteriuria who had not received antibiotics for urinary tract infections for two weeks before surgery. The patients were divided into two groups according to the duration of the antibiotics (Group 1: less than one day, n=396 vs. Group 2: more than one day, n=247). Results: The overall incidence of postoperative infectious complications in 643 patients was 5.0% (32/643). When postoperative infectious complications were compared according to the duration of the antibiotics (Group 1 vs. Group 2), the infectious complications rates were 5.6% (22/396) vs. 4.0% (10/247), respectively (p=0.393). When postoperative infectious complications were compared according to the duration of antibiotics (Group 1 vs. Group 2) in the TURP and HOLEP groups, the infectious complications rates were 6.3% (12/192) vs. 1.0% (1/103) (p=0.035) and 4.9% (10/203) vs. 6.0% (8/134) (p=0.677), respectively. The duration of Foley catheterization was independently associated with infectious complications (p=0.003). Conclusions: The results showed that prolonged postoperative catheterization affects postoperative infectious complications associated with transurethral prostate surgery. Although antibiotics administered for less than one day are effective for antibiotic prophylaxis of transurethral prostate surgery, a longer antibiotic therapy is recommended for TURP.
Purpose: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several studies reported changes in the distribution of microorganisms that cause major legal, respiratory, and gastrointestinal infectious diseases and increases in the antimicrobial resistance rates in Korea. On the other hand, there has been little domestic research on the causative organism of urinary tract infection (UTI). This study investigated the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the distribution of causative organisms and the antimicrobial resistance rate in UTI. Materials and Methods: This study analyzed 17,201 urine cultures retrospectively from patients who visited Chung-Ang University Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021. Tests were then conducted to determine if there was a significant difference between the data for the eight quarters of the pre-COVID-19 period (January 2018 to December 2019) and the data for the eight quarters post-COVID-19 period (January 2020 to December 2021). Results: Escherichia coli was the most common causative organism in all periods, but it decreased in the post-COVID-19 period. Enterococcus faecalis increased in the post-COVID-19 period. The ciprofloxacin resistance rate of E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae increased, but the ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin resistance rate of E. faecalis decreased. Conclusions: There was little difference in the causative organism distribution of UTI and antimicrobial resistance rates before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, changes in some causative organisms are identified. Nevertheless, because this study was limited to a single medical institute, data from a broader spectrum of bacterial species collected from multiple institutions will be needed to obtain definitive results.
In recent decades, the understanding of the genetic information of microbes and hosts has advanced considerably with the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS). For infectious diseases, genomic analysis can provide valuable information on the host disease susceptibility, microbial pathogenicity, and drug sensitivity. For urinary tract infections (UTI), NGS can reveal the pathogenic microbe and the dysbiosis of the urinary microbiome, which is a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of UTI and other urinary tract disorders. This review outlines the role of urinary microbiome dysbiosis in UTI, urinary stone disease, and cancer. Furthermore, the recent advances in NGS technologies for future applications in infectious disease research are described in detail.
Purpose: This study examined the effects of long-term ureteral stent (US) on urinary tract infection (UTI) by bacterial migration and bacterial colonization. Materials and Methods: From March 2014 to August 2021, 64 patients who underwent US for more than six months were enrolled in this study. When the US was inserted for the first time and replaced regularly, urine was collected from the bladder and renal pelvis and cultured. Patients’ the characteristics, and differences in pathogens related to US infection were analyzed. Results: The mean age was 66.4 years, and the mean duration of indwelling was 37.5 months. There were 38 cases (59.3%) by malignant and 26 cases (40.6%) by benign causes. UTI occurred in 33 cases (53%); 16 cases (25%) were hospitalized for febrile UTI. After the initial US insertion, bacteria were identified in the bladder 285 days later and in the renal pelvis after 619 days. The bladder culture was positive in 10 of the 33 patients, and renal pelvis alone was positive in nine of the 33 patients. The same strain was confirmed in the bladder and renal pelvis in 12 cases (18.8%), and it took a mean of 5.8 months ± 6.32 (standard deviation) for the upward migration of bacteria. Conclusions: UTIs occur in approximately 50% of patients with long-term US indwelling. The probability of culturing the same strain by a US was approximately 18.8%, and the role of pathogen transmission of a US does not appear to be significant. In addition, renal pelvis culture would be helpful in cases of failed bladder antibiotics susceptibility.
There has been a sustained effort to overcome the multiple infectious diseases that confront humankind. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are most commonly caused by bacterial pathogens, primarily Escherichia coli. However, UTIs by viral pathogens have not been significantly reported. The human urinary tract, both in the healthy and diseased states, is home to many viruses despite the traditional belief that urine is sterile in healthy individuals. The most common viral pathogens found in the urinary tract are the human polyomavirus (BK virus), adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus type-1 and type-2. Research should continue to investigate whether these viruses cause clinical infections or are mere colonizers of the urinary tract. Keywords: Urinary tract
Purpose: Diagnosing urinary tract infections by urine culture is time-consuming during a Bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment. Because the urine culture results take time to collect, patients are treated presumptively, or Bacillus Calmette-Guérin is discontinued before the results. This study evaluated the ability of the Sysmex UF-1000i system to examine the urine bacterial count and determine if it could be used to predict a positive culture. Materials and Methods: 180 patients who underwent transurethral resection for bladder tumors and received intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment between January 2017 and July 2018 were evaluated prospectively. For patients who received an intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment, urine flow cytometry, and urine cultures were assessed weekly during the treatment period. Results: During Bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation, 44, 146, and 27 patients had bacteriuria, pyuria, and positive urine nitrite, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that the predictors associated with bacteriuria included the urine flow cytometry results of >100 bacteria/µl (odds ratio, 22.73; p<0.001) and positive urine nitrite (odds ratio, 5.67; p=0.012) at the time of sampling for positive urine culture. The area under the receiver operative characteristic curve for diagnosing bacteriuria by urine flow cytometry was 0.825. A urine flow cytometry cutoff value of >100 bacteria/µl resulted in a sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 90.91%, respectively. Using the cutoff of >1,000 bacteria/µl, the sensitivity and specificity were 50% and 94.85%, respectively. Conclusions: Rapid urinary tract infection diagnosis using Sysmex UF-1000i can be used to determine whether to treat an infection and to avoid unnecessary Bacillus Calmette-Guérin discontinuation and urine culture tests.
Purpose: Children with febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) show significant morbidity. Few studies have examined the incidence of fUTI after ureteral reimplantation for congenital urinary tract anomalies, particularly in infants. Therefore, this study examined the incidence and risk factors of fUTI after ureteral reimplantation in infants. Materials and Methods: Children under one year of age, who underwent ureteral reimplantation from July 2017 to December 2018, were reviewed retrospectively. The patients’ data were analyzed to evaluate the predictors of fUTI after ureteral reimplantation. Results: Ureteral reimplantation was performed in 16 patients (25 ureters) at a mean of 8.9±2.8 months. The preoperative diagnosis was VUR 14 (87.5%), obstructive megaureter 1 (6.3%), duplicated ureter 1 (6.3%). Postoperative fUTI occurred in five patients (31.3%) during the follow-up period (average 9.6±5.9 months, range 3-18 months). UTI occurred at 40.8±16.6 (17-61) days after surgery. Fourteen ureters were implanted with a ureteral catheter for three days, and 11 ureters were implanted with a double J ureteral stent for six weeks. The children’s age, sex, surgical method, renal scar, reflux grade, laterality, persisting VUR, and presence of double J ureteral stent were not predictive factors for postoperative fUTI. Conclusions: The incidence of fUTI after ureteral reimplantation in infants was 31.3%, and all fUTI occurred within two months after surgery. The risk factors associated with fUTI after ureteral reimplantation could not be predicted.