ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that hydrodynamic forces generated during urination are a major antimicrobial defense mechanism in the female urethra, just as they are in the urethra of males. It argues that the bladder, previously thought to be sterile, does in fact have a microbiota. The chapter explores infections of the urinary tract which are extremely common and that as many as 50% of females will experience such an infection during their lifetime. In comparison to other body sites, the microbiota of the urinary system of females has been very poorly investigated. The microbiotas of pre-menopausal women and pre-menarcheal girls have high proportions of lactobacilli and these organisms display wide-ranging antibacterial and anti-adhesive effects and therefore can exert a profound effect on the composition of the urethral microbiota. The sexual maturity of the individual has a marked effect on the number of cultivable species present in the female urethra, their frequency of detection and their relative proportions.
