Beneficial bacteria aid urinary infection

SEATTLE, April 19 (UPI) -- A depletion of vaginal lactobacilli, a type of bacteria, is associated with urinary tract infection risk in women, U.S. researchers say.

Study author Dr. Ann Stapleton of the University of Washington in Seattle says urinary tract infections frequently recur in 2 percent to 3 percent of all women who experience such infections.

In the study, young women with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections received antibiotics for acute urinary tract infections.

They were then randomized to receive either a Lactobacillus crispatus intravaginal suppository probiotic, called LACTIN-V, or a placebo for five days, and then once a week for 10 weeks, Stapleton says. A probiotic is a live microorganism thought to be beneficial to the host organism.

Of the 100 women who participated in the study, 50 received LACTIN-V, and 50 received the placebo.

The study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, finds seven of the women who received LACTIN-V had at least one urinary tract infection, compared to 13 in the placebo group.