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Invited Commentary
May 14, 2012

The Advantages of Second Best: Comment on “Lactobacilli vs Antibiotics to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections”

Author Affiliations

Author Affiliations: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center of Excellence, Houston, Texas (Dr Trautner); and Departments of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, and National Center for Occupational Health and Infection Control, Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards, Veterans Health Administration, Gainesville, Florida (Dr Gupta).

Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(9):712-714. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1213

Approximately 60% of women in the United States experience a UTI, or acute cystitis, during their lifetime. Of these, 30% go on to have multiple recurrences.1 For women who suffer from frequent recurrences, effective preventive strategies are essential to free them from this disruptive illness. Unfortunately, the use of antibiotics for UTI prevention is becoming more problematic because resistance to commonly used agents is now widespread, infection caused by Clostridium difficile is increasingly common, and our appreciation of the importance of an undisturbed microbiome in health is growing. Therefore, investigations of antibiotic-sparing approaches to UTI prevention are of great interest to physicians and patients alike.

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