Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages against E.coli urinary tract infection and evaluating their anti-biofilm activity and antibiotic synergy.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are a significant health concern, especially due to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. This study focuses on isolating and characterizing bacteriophages specific to UPEC strains isolated from UTI samples. The isolated phages were assessed for their ability to target and lyse UPEC in vitro, focusing on their efficacy in disrupting biofilms, a key virulence factor contributing to UTI recurrence and antibiotic resistance. The morphological structure observed by TEM belongs to Myoviridae, the phage exhibited icosahedral symmetry with a long non-constricting tail, the approximate measurement of the phage head was 39 nm in diameter, and the phage tail was 105.317 nm in length. One-step growth experiments showed that the latent period was approximately 20 min, followed by a rise period of 40 min, and a growth plateau was reached within 20 min and the burst size observed was 26 phages/infected bacterial cells. These phages were capable of killing cells within the biofilms, leading to a reduction in living cell counts after a single treatment. This study highlights the potential of phages to play a significant role in disrupting, inactivating, and destroying Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) biofilms. Such findings could be instrumental in developing treatment strategies that complement antibiotics and disinfectants. The phage-antibiotic synergistic activity was compared to have the possibility to facilitate the advancement of focused and enduring alternatives to traditional antibiotic therapies for UTIs.

Selective embolisation for intractable bladder haemorrhages: A systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the current evidence and assess the effectiveness and safety of selective transarterial embolisation (STE) to control intractable bladder haemorrhage (IBH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: With a rise in the use of STE for the treatment of IBH, a systematic review was performed according to the Cochrane reviews guidelines and in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 38 studies, of which 11 were excluded because of irrelevance of data. All included studies were observational cohort studies, with no randomisation or control groups apart from in relation to the materials used for embolisation. The studies were published between 1978 and 2016. There were 295 patients with an age range between 51 and 95 years. The success rate ranged from 43% up to 100%. The most reported complication was post-embolisation syndrome, although other complications were described such as mild transient gluteal claudication, nausea, and vomiting. CONCLUSION: STE of the internal iliac artery is a safe and effective alternative technique to control severe IBH, and has been successfully applied over many years to treat bladder haemorrhage associated with terminal pelvic malignancy.