What causes a urinary tract infection?

• Bacteria (bak-TIHR-ee-uh) are a type of germ.
• Normally, urine does not contain any bacteria.
• A UTI occurs when bacteria get into the urinary tract.
• Most often, UTIs are caused by bacteria from the digestive tract.
• The bacteria first travel to the urethra.
• Infection in the urethra is called urethritis.
• Bacteria can move to the bladder and cause a bladder infection.
• Bladder infections are also called cystitis.
• If the bacteria pass through the ureters up to the kidney, they can cause a kidney infection.
• Another name for kidney infection is pyelonephritis (pi-LO-nef-rite-is).
• Pyelonephritis can be serious. Sometimes people with pyelonephritis need to stay in the hospital for several days.

How is a urinary tract infection treated?

• UTIs are treated with antibiotics (an-tuh-beye-OT-iks).
• Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria.
• A health care provider must write a prescription for antibiotics.
• It is important to take all the medicine, even if the symptoms go away before the medicine is gone.
• Many people feel better in one or two days.
• Small infections need three days of medicine. Larger infections need seven days or more of medicine.
• It is important to tell the health care provider about any allergies to medicines.

Are there tests for urinary tract infections?

Usually two tests are done to check for a UTI.

• Urinalysis—this test looks for cells and certain chemicals in the urine.
• Urine culture—this test checks for bacteria in the urine.

What are the symptoms of a urinary tract infection?

Some common symptoms of UTI are:

• Pain or burning when passing urine.
• A strong urge to pass urine.
• Pressure in the lower belly.
• Urine that smells bad.
• Urine that looks milky, cloudy, or reddish in color. If you see blood in your urine, tell a doctor right away.
• Feeling tired or shaky.
• Fever.