A “close cousin” of the dangerous strain of E. coli could provide a new way to treat urinary tract infections, researchers said.

Researchers from Texas A&M are working to build a device that uses harmless strains of E. coli, first discovered in the 1970s, to inhibit the growth of bad bacteria that cause UTIs, according to a Sept. 17 news release from the university.

According to researchers, the good strain of E. coli is beneficial because it uses up all the nutrients that bad E. coli, and other UTI-causing bacteria such as Staphylococcus, need to survive.

“The urinary tract becomes so populated by the good strain that the harmful bacteria are unable to grow, preventing UTIs,” researchers said in the release.

The goal is to use a hydrogel device, similar to a contact lens, loaded with living E. coli that “floats freely in the bladder and slowly releases” beneficial bacteria into the urinary tract, preventing bad bacteria from thriving, according to researchers.

Constant use of antibiotics among people prone to frequent UTIs, including those with spinal cord injuries and women in menopause, can lead to long-term “negative effects on the gut microbiome and overall health,” researchers said.

“Using ‘good’ bacteria to fight ‘bad’ bacteria opens up all kinds of new treatment and prevention possibilities and not just for UTIs,” associate professor Dr. Sarguru Subash said in the release.

The project is a collaboration between researchers from Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the College of Engineering.

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