Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections worldwide, affecting individuals across all age groups and placing a substantial burden on healthcare systems. They are a major driver of antibiotic use, hospital admissions, and reduced quality of life. With the ongoing rise in antimicrobial resistance, improving the management of UTIs is an urgent clinical and public health priority.
Our research group focuses on urinary tract infections, with the aim of improving diagnosis, prevention, and treatment in daily clinical practice. We address clinically relevant questions that arise directly from patient care. In collaboration with the Department of Urology, we run a dedicated outpatient clinic for patients with recurrent and complex urinary tract infections. This setting allows us to link research to clinical practice and translate everyday clinical challenges into research questions.
Urinary tract infections occur both in the community and in hospital settings, and their management often spans different healthcare domains. Our research therefore takes a transmural approach, involving close collaboration with primary care, long-term care facilities, and hospital-based care. By working across these settings, we aim to improve continuity of care and develop strategies that are applicable throughout the healthcare chain.
A central theme of our research is optimizing the diagnosis of UTIs to support appropriate treatment decisions while avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use. This includes the development and evaluation of diagnostic strategies that distinguish between infection and colonization, particularly in populations where this distinction is challenging, such as older adults. Reducing overtreatment is important, as inappropriate antibiotic use contributes to resistance and patient harm.
We also investigate strategies for the prevention of recurrent and complicated UTIs. Our work explores the role of the urinary and gut microbiome in susceptibility to infection, as well as non-antibiotic preventive interventions. Special attention is given to vulnerable patient groups, including individuals with urinary catheters, residents of long-term care facilities, and kidney transplant recipients, in whom infections are frequent and often difficult to manage.
In addition, we explore innovative therapeutic strategies aimed at breaking the cycle of recurrent antibiotic use. Our research includes intravesical treatment approaches, as well as therapies targeting the urinary and gut microbiome. Through these approaches, we aim to contribute to more sustainable and effective treatment strategies for urinary tract infections.
