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chapter 23- the genitourinary tract

Terms in this set (7)

Normal Biota of the Male Genital Tract
Normal biota of the urethra:
•Many of the same residents as the external portions of the penis
•Lactobacillus and Streptococcus
•Microbiota shifts when sexual activity begins
•Men may be asymptomatic carriers of pathogens capable of causing STI
urinary tract
´Removes substances from the blood
´Regulates certain body processes
´Forms urine and transports it out of the body
genital system
reproduction
defenses of the urinary tract
-Flushing action of urine
-Desquamation of epithelial cells lining the urinary tract
Most bacteria adapted to adhere to the cells of the GI tract cannot gain a foothold in the urinary tract
-Acidic pH of urine
-Lysozyme and lactoferrin
-Secretory IgA
defenses of the female reproductive tract
-Vary over the lifetime of the woman
-Protective covering or secreted mucus
-Secretory IgA
-Low pH of vagina beginning in adolescence
-Biota of women in childbearing years prevents establishment and invasion of microbes that might harm the fetus
Normal Biota of the Genitourinary Tract
Exact microbial composition varies among men and women

Female urethra:
-Short—about 3.5 cm long
-Can act as a pipeline for microbes from the anus

Males:
-Circumcision changes the composition of the known normal biota of the penis
-Biota in the uncircumcised penis can stimulate the inflammatory response and can increase susceptibility to infection
Normal Biota of the Female Genital Tract
-Uterus and organs above it are sterile.
-Microbiota recently identified on the exterior cervix.
-Vaginal canal colonized by a diverse array of microorganisms.
-Lactobacillus lower the pH of the vagina
-Microbial makeup can shift dramatically during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy
-Biota of post-menopausal women remains stable over time
-Candida albicans is present at low levels in the healthy female reproductive tract
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