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Lookup NU author(s): Emeritus Professor Max Sussman
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Cystitis is caused by a relatively small number of bacterial species. To colonize and grow in the urinary tract, these organisms have developed and acquired special properties (virulence factors) that allow them to overcome the defences of the urinary tract, particularly clearance by urine flow. These virulence factors are unlikely to be required during transmission from host to host, and sometimes their constitutive expression may actually be disadvantageous. Such factors are therefore regulated by the environment and in a coordinate manner to ensure their most appropriate expression for the conditions encountered. This review focuses on the biology of the urinary tract and the bacterial properties necessary to cause cystitis. The regulation of virulence factors at the different stages of the infection is considered, and a general model for the pathogenesis of urinary tract infection is proposed.
Author(s): Sussman M, Gally DL
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Annual Review of Medicine
Year: 1999
Volume: 50
Pages: 149-158
Print publication date: 01/02/1999
ISSN (print): 0066-4219
ISSN (electronic): 1545-326X
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.med.50.1.149
DOI: 10.1146/annurev.med.50.1.149
PubMed id: 10073269
