Urinary tract infections are common, especially in the elderly. Escherichia coli is the leading cause of urinary tract infections and is responsible for up to a third of all sepsis cases worldwide. Prevention of such invasive E. coli infections through vaccination could lead to significant health gains. However, there is currently no vaccine available to prevent sepsis. That is why scientists are investigating whether a new vaccine can prevent sepsis in a large European study.
For this study, UMC Utrecht is looking for people over the age of 60 who have had a urinary tract infection in the past two years and who are therefore at increased risk of developing sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening form of organ failure caused by a dysregulated response of the body to an infection. It is a common cause or complication of admission to an intensive care unit and causes a high mortality and burden of disease. Also, sepsis is often diagnosed late both outside and inside the hospital. The result of this is a major impact on patients and healthcare.
Urinary Tract Infection
Of E. colibacteria are harmless intestinal bacteria for most people, but the bacteria can be dangerous for the elderly in particular. Because the immune system functions less well with age, the elderly have an increased risk of infections and developing sepsis. The elderly are especially vulnerable to urinary tract infections (eg cystitis) because the bladder becomes weaker with age. As a result, more and more urine remains in the bladder after urination. The longer and more urine that remains in the bladder, the greater the risk of a urinary tract infection from E. coli.
Of E. coli-bacteria is a leading and increasing cause of sepsis worldwide and is responsible for 17-37 percent of all sepsis cases. The global increase in antibiotic resistance to E. coli is also a major challenge for the proper treatment of E. coli infections. As a result, the effectiveness of treatment of urinary tract infections with antibiotics is decreasing. It is therefore important to develop new possibilities to treat serious infections with E. coli to prevent.
There is as yet no vaccine that can prevent sepsis due to a urinary tract infection with E-coli. Researchers have therefore developed a candidate vaccine against sepsis in recent years. They now want to investigate whether this new vaccine actually protects against sepsis.
18 Thousand participants across Europe
The E.mbrace study will assess the effectiveness and safety of a vaccine candidate for the prevention of sepsis in 18,000 adults aged 60 years or older who have had a urinary tract infection within the past two years. The UMC Utrecht is also participating in this European study and is looking for 800 participants in the Utrecht region. The study is placebo-controlled, meaning that half of the participants will receive the vaccine candidate and the other half will receive a placebo (dummy vaccine). During the period after vaccine administration, the number of cases of sepsis continues to increase E. coli with the vaccine candidate compared to the placebo.
People interested in participating in this study must meet the following conditions:
- be 60 years of age or older at the time of participating in the study;
- Have been treated for a urinary tract infection in the past 2 years;
- Be resident in the province of Utrecht.
In addition, the participants must be prepared to keep track of their health situation in a special app via their mobile phone.
More information about this study can be found at www.vaccinatiestudie.nl/onderzoeken/embrace
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