This was once believed to be an effective way to destroy the bacteria, because the bladder cells would then die and slough off the bladder wall, taking the bacteria with them. Assays show that the bacteria often proliferate to high levels inside the host cells, where richer nutrients may be more readily available. When the cells die, many bacteria escape. In a movement Hultgren compares to salmon swimming upstream, they push through the layer of cells that is sloughing off to reach the inner layer. Rather than begin to proliferate again, the bacteria may become dormant.
Physicians usually treat UTI patients with antibiotics.
When bacteria and sloughed-off cells are no longer found in the urine, they conclude that the treatment has been successful. If the infection recurs, they believe that bacteria from the intestines or from outside the body have invaded the bladder again. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , Aug. 1, 2000. Funding from the National Institutes of Health.