ABSTRACT
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a broad term used to describe an inflammatory response of urothelium to an infectious agent. A UTI can involve either the upper urinary tract (kidneys) or the lower urinary tract (bladder and urethra). Pyelonephritis refers to a UTI involving the kidney and is characterized by fever, chills and flank pain. Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder and usually presents with dysuria (pain during micturition), frequency, urgency and suprapubic discomfort. This can be mistaken for urethritis in the female (see chapter on sexually transmitted diseases), but acute bacterial cystitis is much more common than primary urethritis in the female.
