Mannose-binding lectin in pre-menopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections

• Published in: Clinical microbiology and infection Vol. 16; no. 9; pp. 1394 - 1398
• Main Authors: Colodner, R., Nitzan, O., Chazan, B., Edelstein, H., Raz, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2010; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Wiley-Blackwell; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the urinary system; Biological and medical sciences; Candida; Case-Control Studies; collectins; Double-Blind Method; Drug therapy; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Furunculosis; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Lectin; Lectins; mannose-binding; Mannose-binding lectin; Mannose-Binding Lectin - blood; Mannose-Binding Lectin - deficiency; Medical sciences; Menopause; Middle Aged; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; pre-menopausal; Premenopause; Recurrence; recurrent; Recurrent infection; Serum levels; Serum proteins; Staphylococcus aureus; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Urinary system involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous; Urinary tract; Urinary Tract Infections - epidemiology; Urinary tract. Prostate gland; UTI; Young Adult; Lectin; UTI; pre-menopausal; mannose-binding; recurrent; Human; Relapse; Urinary system disease; Mannose; Urinary tract disease; Urinary tract infection; Female; Woman
• ISSN: 1198-743X; 1469-0691
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2010.03107.x

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) comprises an oligomeric serum protein that is a member of the collectin class of the C-type lectin super-family. Its deficiency is genetically determined and confers predisposition to recurrent infections as well as increased infection severity. This correlation has been demonstrated in recurrent furunculosis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and in pneumococcal and Candida infections. The present study aimed to determine whether there is a correlation between MBL serum levels and recurrent urinary tact infections (UTI) in pre-menopausal women. The present aged-matched double-blind controlled study was conducted in 100 pre-menopausal adult women: 50 who suffered from recurrent UTI and 50 without UTI. The MBL concentration was measured in a single serum sample from each patient using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. MBL serum levels [median (range)] were 2500 (4–12 000) ng/mL and 2105 (4–22 800) ng/mL for the research and control groups, respectively. The results from the two groups were compared and were not statistically different (p 0.4). According to these results, MBL serum levels are not associated with an increased risk for recurrent UTI in pre-menopausal women.