Effect of hormonal deprivation on the bladder defense mechanism.

The mucopolysaccharide (MPS) layer of the bladder has been implicated as a bacterial anti-adherence factor in previous experimentation. Production of MPS is known to be related to hormones in other systems of the body and probably to the urinary system. Due to the known rising incidence of urinary tract infection in most menopausal females, an experimental model using oophorectomized rabbits was designed. Oophorectomized and control rabbits were observed for their ability to clear their bladder of experimentally induced Escherichia coli 04 infections. There was a 2-fold increase in the mean number of days for clearance of bacteria among oophorectomized rabbits versus control rabbits. Twice as many rabbits cleared their infection within 1 week in the control population versus the oophorectomized population. To further examine the relationship of oophorectomy to urinary tract infection, a group of 1030 female canines in an animal veterinary practice was studied. It was found that the incidence of infection was higher in the spayed population than in the non-spayed group. The non-spayed group seem to have an age dependent history of urinary infection whereas ovariohysterectomy appeared to abolish this relationship to age.