UTI Review - Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Children

The urinary tract is normally free of bacteria, such that the urine itself is sterile. Infection occurs when external bacteria enter and multiply within the urinary tract.

In the majority of cases, the bacteria enter via the urethra and travel up towards the bladder. Urinary tract infection (UTI) affecting the bladder and lower urinary tract is known as cystitis. In some cases, the infection may spread into the upper urinary tract and into one or both kidneys, and this is known as pyelonephritis. The most common bacterium to cause UTI is Escherichia coli, although proteus, enterococci and pseudomonas species are also common.^{1, 2}