Escherichia coli associated urinary tract infection: Epidemiology and possible strategies for control

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a prevalent condition that individuals may experience at least once in their lifetime. It is one of the most common reasons for hospital visits across all age groups, from neonates to adults. The predominant organism causing UTIs is Escherichia (E.) coli, followed by other microorganisms such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Citrobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus spp. This review focuses on E. coli as the predominant causative agent for UTIs, examining its contribution to the disease burden and antibiotic susceptibility which significantly impact on human health and society. Additionally, we discuss novel approaches to combat this common threat, including the development of bio-markers for UTI treatment, the application of AI, and nanotechnology in medical field to fight against UTIs. We also observe the global distribution of uropathogenic E. coli, with specific attention to India, and highlight the recent trends in drug resistance patterns among the uropathogenic E. coli isolates enabling physicians to administer appropriate antibiotics for UTI treatment.

Keywords

UTI / Uropathogenic E. coli / Antibiotic susceptibility / Bio-markers / Artificial Intelligence / Nanotechnology

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement

Subhojeet Biswas would like to acknowledge the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India for providing a fellowship for doing the relevant review paper work during his PhD. The fellowship was granted for a period of 5 years from August 2017 to July 2022 with the fellowship I.D. Number DBT/2017/RMRC/946. A sincere vote of thanks also goes to KIIT School of Biotechnology for granting registration for his PhD. work with registration number mentioned as 19368369768. Lastly, deep regards are extended to other contributors of the manuscript for giving their valuable time and cooperation in completing the work.

Funding

This study received no extramural funding.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Authors’ contributions

Biswas S and Rana R contributed to the conception and design of the manuscript. Ranjit M and Bal M revised the manuscript and supplemented materials for preparing the manuscript thoroughly. Pati S and Suar M completed the manuscript. All the authors agree with the content of the manuscript.

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