Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
An In Vitro Bladder Model of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection
Published on: June 24, 2025
Culture-independent microbiological analysis of foley urinary catheter biofilms
Daniel N Frank1, Shandra S Wilson, Allison L St Amand
1Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
Background:
Prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), a leading cause of nosocomial disease, is complicated by the propensity of bacteria to form biofilms on indwelling medical devices [1,2,3,4,5].
Methodology/Principal Findings:
To better understand the microbial diversity of these communities, we report the results of a culture-independent bacterial survey of Foley urinary catheters obtained from patients following total prostatectomy. Two patient subsets were analyzed, based on treatment or no treatment with systemic fluoroquinolone antibiotics during convalescence. Results indicate the presence of diverse polymicrobial assemblages that were most commonly observed in patients who did not receive systemic antibiotics. The communities typically contained both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms that included multiple potential pathogens.
Conclusion/Significance:
Prevention and treatment of CAUTI must take into consideration the possible polymicrobial nature of any particular infection.
