Polyvalent Bacterial Lysate with Potential Use to Treatment and Control of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Antimicrobial overuse fuels multidrug-resistant bacteria, complicating infectious disease treatment.
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a significant global health concern requiring alternative therapies.
• Autologous bacterial lysates show potential for UTI treatment but are costly to produce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a cost-effective, polyvalent bacterial lysate for UTI treatment.
• To assess the safety and immunogenic capacity of a novel polyvalent lysate.
• To explore an alternative to antimicrobials for managing chronic UTIs.

Main Methods:

• A polyvalent lysate was prepared using 10 serotypes of *Escherichia coli* and other common UTI pathogens.
• Safety was evaluated in cell cultures and an animal model.
• Immunogenic capacity was assessed by analyzing cytokine secretion (TNF-α, IL-6) in human and murine macrophages.

Main Results:

• The polyvalent lysate demonstrated safety, causing no damage in cell cultures or the animal model.
• It effectively stimulated human macrophages to secrete TNF-α and IL-6.
• Murine macrophages showed TNF-α secretion upon stimulation with the lysate.

Conclusions:

• The polyvalent bacterial lysate is a safe and immunogenic candidate for UTI treatment.
• This approach offers a potential strategy to reduce antimicrobial usage.
• The findings support the development of this lysate as an alternative for chronic UTI management.