Media release

From: Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI)

A new guideline on complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) could redefine treatment in Australia and globally.

The advice, led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) researchers on behalf of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases and published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, has better-defined what complicated UTIs are.

These more severe UTIs, may be missed early on due to similar symptoms to the flu or other infections. Complicated UTIs often reoccur and can lead to complications like abscesses, scarring in the urinary tract and even sepsis if not treated promptly or correctly.

The guideline describes five distinct categories of complicated UTIs and how these should best be tackled. Evidence has been evaluated and distilled into new, high-quality recommendations that address existing clinical practice gaps to reduce unnecessary variation in care and improve outcomes.

This world-first guideline for children with severe UTIs was developed for the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases with relevance for jurisdictions globally.

Publication: Penelope Bryant, Maria Bitsori, Maria Vardaki, Nina Vaezipour, Maria Khan and Michael Buettcher. ‘Guidelines for Complicated Urinary Tract Infections in Children: A Review by the European Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases’, The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000004790

Available for interview:

Associate Professor Penelope Bryant Group Leader MCRI Clinical Infections group.