What are cystitis, interstitial cystitis (IC), urinary tract infection (UTI) and overactive bladder?

Andrologia. 2008 Apr;40(2):66-71.

Hidden pathogens uncovered: metagenomic analysis of urinary tract infections.
Imirzalioglu C, Hain T, Chakraborty T, Domann E.

Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common kidney and urologic diseases in industrial nations and are usually caused through faecal contamination of the urinary tract. In this study, we have examined 1449 urine specimens both by culture and by PCR. The majority of UTIs examined were caused by Escherichia coli (35.15%), followed by miscellaneous bacteria (23.03%), and by Enterococcus faecalis (19.39%). A large fraction of fastidious and anaerobic bacteria (22.43%) was not detected under culture conditions but only by using PCR. This group of bacteria evade the standard culture conditions used in routine diagnostic laboratories examining urine specimens. The molecular approach used broad-range 16S rDNA PCR, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, se quencing, and bioinformatic analysis to uncover these 'hidden' pathogens and is recommended in particular when examining leukocyte esterase-positive and culture-negative urinary tract specimens.

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1  How is urine produced?

2  What is cystitis?

3  How prevalent is cystitis?

4  What is honeymoon cystitis?

5  What are Frequency and nocturia?

6  How prevalent are Frequency and nocturia?

7  What is urinary incontinence?

8  What is stress incontinence of urine?

9  What is urgency, urge incontinence and the urge syndrome?

10 What causes stress and urge incontinence?

11 What is dribbling incontinence?

12 How prevalent is urinary incontinence?

13 What is the urethral syndrome?

14 How can I record my bladder problems and monitor the effects of treatment?

15 What simple measures are available to reduce urinary incontinence?

16 What are pelvic floor exercises?

17 How successful are pelvic floor exercises?

18 What is bladder training?

19 How effective is bladder training?

20 Are there any alternatives to bladder training for urgency symptoms?

21 If simple measures do not suffice, what else is available for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence?

22 What are urodynamic studies?

23 Where can I obtain further information about bladder problems?

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