July 8, 2012 Humans have known for centuries that copper is a
potent weapon against infection. New research shows that the
bacteria that cause serious urinary tract infections "know"
this, too, and steal copper to prevent the metal from being used
against them. Blocking this thievery with a drug may
significantly improve patients' chances of fighting off
infections, according to researchers at Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings appear online July
8 in Nature Chemical Biology. In the United States alone, annual
treatment costs for urinary tract infections are estimated to
run as high as $1.6 billion. Most urinary tract infections are
caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli). "While some patients are
able to clear these infections without issue, in others the
infection persists or recurs despite antibiotic therapy," says
senior author Jeff Henderson, MD, PhD, assistant professor of
medicine and of molecular microbiology. "In some cases, the
infection spreads to the kidney or the blo