Plasma endotoxin concentrations in patients with urinary tract infections

Although endotoxin elicits a variety of pathophysiological activities in hosts with gram-negative bacterial infections, the clinical significance of plasma endotoxin levels have not been clearly defined in the patients with urinary tract infections. The purpose of the study was to measure plasma endotoxin concentrations in relation to the types of urinary tract infections and to examine their correlation with inflammatory parameters.

Using chromogenic Limulus-amebocyte lysate assay, plasma endotoxin concentrations were measured in a total of 63 patients with various types of nonspecific urinary tract infections.

The mean plasma endotoxin concentrations in patients with sterile pyuria, chronic complicated cystitis, acute uncomplicated pyelonephritis or acute exacerbation of chronic complicated pyelonephritis, chronic complicated pyelonephritis, and acute bacterial prostatitis or epididymitis were significantly higher than those in healthy individuals and in patients with acute uncomplicated cystitis. The correlation coefficients between plasma endotoxin concentrations and body temperatures, white blood cell counts in peripheral blood, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, and C-reactive proteins were 0.678 (P < 0.01), 0.503 (P < 0.01), and 0.330 (P < 0.01), respectively.

Patients with urinary tract infections may respond to endotoxin locally and generally depending on the sites of infection involved. However, endotoxin levels do not always correlate to clinical findings or inflammatory parameters.