Researchers at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are investigating how the body utilizes copper to fight urinary tract infections (UTIs) and how bacteria adapt to these defenses. The study aims to determine if understanding this interaction can lead to new treatments for infections that are increasingly difficult to control with antibiotics.
The research is supported by a $1.48 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It builds on previous findings from Dr. Sarguru Subash, an associate professor in the VMBS Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, which showed that the body pumps copper into the urinary tract during infection to kill UTI-causing bacteria.
Copper is an essential nutrient for people and animals, but it can be toxic to bacteria in specific environments. As part of the innate immune response, specialized immune cells engulf invading bacteria and expose them to an antimicrobial mixture containing copper. During a UTI, the body increases copper levels in the urine to combat the pathogen.
However, bacteria have evolved mechanisms to remove or detoxify the metal because they encounter it naturally in their environment. Dr. Subash noted that while these adaptations exist, they are not always effective when bacteria face the full context of the immune system's antimicrobial cocktail.
"Sometimes the balance tips in favor of the host, so we can control the infections. Other times, the balance tips in favor of pathogens," Subash said. "As a result, we get clinical disease."
