What Causes a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that generally develops when bacteria enters the opening of the urethra and multiplies in the urinary tract. These infections are common, and men, women, as well as children all develop UTIs. The kidneys, the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder), the bladder, and the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder) all make up the urinary tract. The ureters and bladder make a special connection that helps protect your body from urine backing up into the kidneys. When urine flows through the urethra, it helps eliminate bacteria.
Urinary Tract Infections affect approximately between 8 and 10 million people a year in the United States. The condition is much more common with women that men, although these reasons are not fully known. The shorter female urethra is suspected to be the cause of this. Younger men and young boys very rarely get an UTI. The percentage of women in the United States who get an UTI is at 20%, and out of those, 20% have a recurrence. In children that a younger than 2, UTIs are more common.
What Causes a UTI?
In adults, about 80% of urinary tract infections are caused by Escherichia coli (E. Coli). While this bacteria is normally present in the colon, they may enter the urethral opening from the skin that is around the anus and genitals. A women’s urethral opening is near the source of the bacteria (the anus, vagina) and their urethras or shorter, so this may be the cause of why women are more prone to the infection. The shorter urethra gives bacteria a shorter access path to the bladder.
There are other bacteria that can cause UTIs. The bacteria Staphylococcus saprophyticus causes between 5% – 15% of UTIs. Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma hominis also can cause a urinary tract infection. Both men and women can transmit the infection to their partner during sexual intercourse if they are infected with Chlamydia trachomatis or Mycoplasma hominis. Some women, for reasons still unknown, can have receive a UTI from regular sexual intercourse with a partner that isn’t infected with Chlamydia trachomatis or Mycoplasma hominis. Women that use a diaphragm statistically develop infections more often.
For infants, dirty diapers can develop bacteria that enter the urethra and cause a UTI.