Bacterial and Host Genetic Risk Factors in Acute Pyelonephritis

No single host or pathogen trait identified by previous research can be correlated with all cases of childhood acute pyelonephritis or APN (i.e., kidney/upper urinary tract infections) and APN-associated renal scarring (the outcome with the highest morbidity), making it difficult for physicians to determine which patients will be affected. Our proposal is to comprehensively study the relationships between the clinical manifestations of urinary tract infections (UTIs), the host risk factors and immune response, and the microbial species that cause these conditions. The result of the study will be a clinical severity score to personalize diagnostic and treatment strategies for infants with UTI, with the goal of decreasing the morbidity of APN/renal scarring and improving patient outcomes.