Live UTI Free

Each year, we publish a UTI testing directory alongside our clinician resource: Improving Treatment Pathways for Patients with Persistent Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms. We provide resources like these to encourage open discussions between patients and clinicians, and to help patients prepare for their appointments. The directory, our clinician resource and a worksheet for patients can be found on our website: https://lnkd.in/dEns2v_U The clinician resource covers persistent UTI along with the interconnectedness of the urinary and vaginal microbiomes. These related topics help highlight why our directory incorporates companies that offer related testing services in addition to their UTI test, such as vaginal swabs, prostate tests, and direct-to-patient ordering. One of our medical advisors, Dr. Michael Hsieh, helped guide our clinician resource and shared the following insights about the diagnosis of persistent lower urinary tract symptoms: “I think some patients with the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis have an occult UTI with difficult to culture organisms. By utilizing more accurate testing methods, we are able to identify pathogens in many cases, and develop appropriate treatment. Even as a physician who has conducted microbiome research for a number of years, I was initially skeptical of urine microbiome testing as a means to diagnose UTI. However, based upon patient and clinical experience, microbiome testing appears to not only be accurate in the right setting, but also may predict imminent UTI in some patients.” We appreciate the support of our research and medical advisors: Michael Harrison Hsieh, Lindsey Roberts, Katherine Finlay, Krystal Thomas-White, and co-authors: Jessica Price and Melissa Kramer. Thanks to EmeritusDX - A Cancer Diagnostic and Information Company, MicroGenDX, Systems Biology Laboratory UK c.i.c, and Focus Medical Diagnostics for continuing to support our community and for working towards better patient outcomes. #utidiagnostics #utitest #bladdersmatter #womenshealth #liveutifree

Expertise in localisation required! We're looking for advice on translation/localisation from any tech or translation experts who have worked on this before. 

How is the vaginal microbiome connected to UTI? In our second interview with Krystal Thomas-White, Senior Scientist at Evvy, we explore this connection while answering the following and more: ● What do a healthy vaginal microbiome and a healthy urinary microbiome look like in terms of organisms? ● Do biofilms and intracellular bacterial communities exist in a healthy body? ● Why do ‘good bacteria’ sometimes overgrow? ● How quickly does the vaginal microbiome change over time, and what causes it to change? ● How does the vagina clean itself? ● Do antibiotics destroy the good bacteria in the vaginal and urinary microbiome? Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel ➡ https://lnkd.in/die5HNkU If you're an expert who would like to share insights with our community, we'd love to hear from you. #bladdersmatter #urinarymicrobiome #vaginalmicrobiome #probiotics #chronicuti #recurrentuti

How should DNA-based UTI and vaginal swab test results be interpreted? In part two of our interview with Dr. Nick Parkinson from Systems Biology Laboratory UK c.i.c ● If multiple organisms are identified do the results help determine which should be treated first? ● With repeat testing for the same patient, have you seen that treating one organism can lead to another becoming prevalent and potentially causing symptoms? ● Do you often see patients returning with the same organisms in their test results, despite having completed treatment for those organisms? ● How are antibiotic recommendations provided? ● Can patients order a test directly, and if so, will they receive antibiotic recommendations? ● Is it possible that an organism below the threshold could be causing symptoms? ● Is it possible for someone to request a full list of organisms detected? Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel ➡ https://lnkd.in/dKieyQZd If you're an expert who would like to share insights with our community, we'd love to hear from you. #utitesting #antibioticresistance #recurrentuti #chronicuti #womenshealth #bladdersmatter

Can DNA sequencing detect organisms contained within a biofilm or intracellular bacterial community? We've recently published another expert interview requested by our community, to answer this and many other questions. In part one, we discussed the following topics with Dr. Nick Parkinson from Systems Biology Laboratory UK c.i.c ● Is it always recommended that a vaginal swab test be conducted alongside a urine test, for female patients? ● Can PCR or NGS tests confirm the presence of biofilms, and is it important to know whether a biofilm is present? ● Are there particular organisms that you see most frequently in cases of recurrent or persistent UTI? ● Given organisms are always present in the urinary tract, how do we know if the organisms identified are causing symptoms? ● Is it possible for known pathogens to live in the bladder microbiome and not cause symptoms? ● Is it possible for ‘good bacteria’ to cause symptoms, and have you seen evidence of this in your research? ● Is there any benefit to testing in between UTI episodes, when symptoms are not present? ● Have you done any testing on probiotics themselves, to see whether they contain what is listed on the label? Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/drFzbm2K If you're an expert who would like to share insights with our community, we'd love to hear from you. #utitesting #antibioticresistance #recurrentuti #chronicuti #womenshealth #bladdersmatter

It's #EqualResearchDay again, and there is still so much work to be done. Check out the 100 Effed Facts about the Gender Health Gap, compiled by Evvy.

Answer from Systems Biology Laboratory UK c.i.c: We can identify over 4,000 species of bacteria and the most common species of yeast. We also measure the level of each we find. Not every species will be in every sample, but even so, it’s a complex problem, and we’ve spent a lot of time trying to work out ways to make the results easier to understand. Testing results appear as a table in personal account pages. All prior tests are located in one place so they can be immediately compared, along with the symptoms that were present at the time. We also provide ‘information cards’ for commonly occurring bacteria. These tell you if they normally live in urine or the vagina and what levels would be considered normal. We also label microbes using a coloured traffic light system: ➡ Red: these species are often associated with urogenital symptoms ➡ Amber: these species can, in some circumstances, cause problems ➡ Green: these species have no significant reports of causing symptoms Knowing if a specific type of bacteria is associated with urogenital infections is one thing, but knowing the level of it in your sample is also key. It’s the combination of these two factors that helps make better predictions on what might or might not, be causing symptoms. For example, research shows that UTI-causing species, such as E. coli, can be found at low levels in healthy individuals. So identifying it as present or not is only half the picture. You also need to know what level it’s at. Things get even more complicated as many infections may have more than one pathogenic bacteria present. This is where most culture, PCR and NGS tests can be misleading, as they may not see all the species present or give accurate abundance measures for each. Knowing which bacteria or yeast are good candidates for your symptoms will always be an educated assessment by a healthcare professional. Using enhanced testing to provide accurate information on the levels and types of all microbes present will help your GP or specialist make the most informed decision possible. #utitesting #nextgenerationsequencing #antibioticsusceptibility #antimicrobialresistance #utiresearch #bladdersmatter

Can you treat a UTI if the organisms are antibiotic resistant? In part two of our interview with Nicholas Sanford, PhD, BCMAS from MicroGenDX, we answer the following questions: ● What is the difference between detecting antibiotic resistance genes and conducting antibiotic susceptibility testing? ● Do MicroGenDX test results indicate which organisms are considered to be pathogens vs. those that are considered beneficial? ● How is low/medium/high bacterial load determined for UTI test results and what does it mean? ● Is it normal for bladder organisms to change over time, and for test results to also therefore be different each time? ● Why do beneficial organisms rarely show up in MicroGenDX tests? Are they deliberately omitted from the results, or are they not detected in the first place? ● If multiple organisms are listed in UTI test results, is there any indication of which may be causing the symptoms? ● Do MicroGenDX test results provide antibiotic recommendations? ● Why is it often necessary for someone to test, treat, then retest and possibly treat again? Watch the interview over on our YouTube channel ➡ https://lnkd.in/diq9M8gm If you're an expert who would like to share insights with our community, we'd love to hear from you. #utitesting #antibioticresistance #recurrentuti #chronicuti #womenshealth #bladdersmatter

One of the most frequent questions we get from our community is: Can you have a UTI even if your standard urine culture is negative? Research has demonstrated that standard urine culture has many limitations, often leaving patients with negative results when an infection is present. In part one of our interview with Dr. Nicholas Sanford, PhD, BCMAS from MicroGenDX, we answer the following questions and more: ● Why does standard urine culture miss many infections? ● What is the difference between PCR and NGS testing for UTI? ● Can NGS (next generation sequencing) test detect biofilms? ● How do you know when to do UTI testing vs. STI testing? ● What is the best way to collect a urine sample for this type of test? ● How long should you wait after taking antibiotics, to collect a urine sample for testing? ● Is there any evidence that biofilm disruptors enhance the accuracy of test results? ● Does testing when UTI symptoms are not present provide any benefit? Watch the interview over on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/dZQDCMUT Thanks to Dr. Sanford for answering our community's questions, and to everyone who submitted a question! If you're an expert who would like to share insights with our community, we'd love to hear from you. #utitesting #antibioticresistance #recurrentuti #chronicuti #womenshealth #bladdersmatter

Answer from Systems Biology Laboratory UK c.i.c In parallel to running our testing service, our lab is constantly growing different bacteria from the urine samples we receive. Each type of bacterium we grow is identified using our Digital Microbiology method and verified independently using a state-of-the-art MALDI-ToF bacterial identification machine. It’s then tested against a list of over twenty commonly prescribed antibiotics to see which are most effective, and which do little to prevent growth. By repeating this process on hundreds of different bacterial species and strains, we are able to build up a clear picture of the best antibiotics to use against each particular bacterial species. But, if we can grow the bacteria, why don’t we just test the ones in samples straight away? Although some services do this, growing and testing bacteria takes many days — symptoms likely persist or generic antibiotics are prescribed. Our approach of building up a database in advance allows us to give immediate advice on the best treatment to use if specific bacteria known to cause UTIs, bacterial vaginosis (BV), aerobic vaginosis (AV), or cytolytic vaginosis (CV) are detected in a sample. That way, there’s no need to wait for days and days to see if the lab can grow the bacteria, which isn’t always possible, before receiving accurate and focused treatment from GPs or specialists. Some bacterial strains can behave very differently, so in rare cases our predicted treatment advice may not work. For these cases, we are launching a service that allows for bespoke testing of antibiotic sensitivity on target bacteria grown directly from urine samples. This will still require a recent or new DNA-based Digital Microbiology test first to confirm the bacteria in question is still present, and in sufficient quantities to grow in the lab. Due to the need to grow the bacteria, this service will be much slower than our standard DNA-based profiling. For this reason, we like to use our ever-increasing database to supply instant advice that will be highly accurate in the vast majority of cases. #utitesting #nextgenerationsequencing #antibioticsusceptibility #antimicrobialresistance #utiresearch #bladdersmatter