The ‘innate’ host response protects and damages the infected urinary tract

Symptoms of infection and tissue pathology are caused by the host response: not by the microbe per se. The same response is also critical for the defence and is needed to clear infection. It is therefore essential to understand how the host response is activated and to identify the critical effector mechanisms of the defence. We have studied these issues in the urinary tract infection (UTI) model. The symptoms of UTI and the host defence both rely on the so-called ‘innate’ immune system, making this one of the best characterized human disease models of ‘innate immunity’. We discuss the critical molecular events that determine whether the host response will be activated by P-fimbriated uropathogenic Escherichio coli as well as factors determining whether the patient develops acute pyelonephritis or asymptomatic bacteriuria. We will describe the glycoconjugate receptors used by the P-fimbriated bacteria adhering to host tissues, the recruitment of TLR4 co-receptors and the signalling pathways that allow pro...