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Water consumption and urinary tract infections: an in vitro study

  • Urology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Objectives

To address to a better understanding of whether increased water consumption is associated with beneficial effects of urinary tract infections prophylaxis and treatment, and if so, the mechanism involved in this process.

Methods

Models of the catheterized bladder were infected with Escherichia coli. Artificial urine was supplied at various flow rates and various concentrations to separately assess the “flushing effect” and “dilution effect” of increased water consumption on catheter blockage time, encrustation formation, and bacterial growth.

Results

There were no statistical significances regarding catheter blockage time (P = 0.92), encrustation formation, and bacterial growth among bladder models supplied with various flow rates. When the flow rate was set as 1 ml/min, however, there showed significant decrease trend of the time to blockage (P = 0.0005), encrustation formation, and bacterial growth as the concentration of the artificial urine increased except the twofold-concentration urine group.

Conclusions

Increased water consumption is associated with beneficial effects of urinary tract infection prophylaxis and treatment, and dilution effect of bacteria nutrition in the urine is at least partly involved in this process if not all, rather than the “flushing effect”. Considering the flaws and the in vitro design of the current study, however, an in vivo study is warranted.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by grants from the Technology Support Program of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (Nos. 2010SZ0163 and 2008SZ0204) and the Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (No. 20110181130003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

    Ye Tian, Xiang Cai, Kunjie Wang & Hong Li

  2. Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China

    Ye Tian

  3. Field Hospital, Mari Petroleum Company Limited, District Ghotki, Daharki, Sindh, Pakistan

    Romel Wazir

Authors
  1. Ye Tian
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  2. Xiang Cai
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  3. Romel Wazir
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  4. Kunjie Wang
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  5. Hong Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kunjie Wang.

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Conflict of interest

Author Ye Tian declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Xiang Cai declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Romel Wazir declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Kunjie Wang declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author Hong Li declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Tian, Y., Cai, X., Wazir, R. et al. Water consumption and urinary tract infections: an in vitro study. Int Urol Nephrol 48, 949–954 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-016-1262-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-016-1262-7

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