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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2009;301(13):1329.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Using an approach called metabolomics that analyzes all the chemicals produced by a cell, US researchers have identified potential drug targets for bacterial strains that cause recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) (Henderson JP et al. PLoS Pathog. 2009;5[2]:e1000305).

The strains of Escherichia coli that cause UTIs are commonly thought to originate from the gastrointestinal tract, which also harbors strains believed to aid digestion and block other microbes. To try to distinguish between pathogenic and beneficial strains, the researchers performed a metabolomic analysis of E coli cultured from stool and urine samples. They found that E coli strains in urine produced more yersiniabactin and salmochelin, compounds called siderophores that allow the bacteria to scavenge iron from their hosts.

The findings suggest that new antibiotics directed against E coli strains that produce these siderophores "may be an improved, and more targeted, strategy to prevent recurrent UTIs" that are . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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