Relapse and Reinfection in Chronic Bacteriuria

ONLY about 20 per cent of patients with chronic infections of the urinary tract remain free from significant bacteriuria after cessation of treatment, regardless of the type or duration of chemotherapy.1 2 3 One possible explanation for the refractoriness of chronic urinary-tract infections to both medical and surgical therapeutic measures is that the drug is unable to eradicate foci of infection within the renal parenchyma. In this sense, chronic urinary-tract infections and subacute bacterial endocarditis may be similar. In the latter a brief course of antibiotic therapy at times does not eliminate the causative pathogen, resulting in relapse, and elimination of infection . . .