Fifteen-minute consultation: Why and how do children get urinary tract infections?

Abstract

This paper describes urinary tract infections (UTI) from the perspective of a disturbed balance between bacterial virulence and host defence. In some children, a UTI is caused by a virulent Escherichia coli, while in other cases children with abnormal renal tracts can get infected by almost any bacteria. Such knowledge can help in guiding treatment, investigations and follow-up of a child with a UTI.