Which of the following is correct regarding the reasons why urinary tract infect

Question

Which of the following is correct regarding the reasons why urinary tract infections occur more frequently in females than in males?

a. The female urethra is much longer than the male urethra, which allows more area for microorganisms to infiltrate.

b. The male urethra undergoes more frequent “flushing” with urine compared to females.

c. The female urethra is closer to the anus, providing more chance of contact with bacteria-laden fecal matter.

d. The male urethra has an innate anti-bacterial secretion due to production of seminal fluid, which females are unable to produce.

e. None of the above

Explanation / Answer

There are two main reasons for the urinary tract infections to be more common amongst females-

1) Urethra is smaller in length, therefore any bacteria entering the urinary tract from outside has to travel a lesser distance to reach bladder. From here, the bacteria can proliferate and spread. On the other hand, male urethra is longer and also has reproductive functions, which often flush urethra with very high pressure, so the chances of a bacterial infection lowers.

2) Urethra is located near rectum, so the bacteria from faecal matter may enter urethra. Also, the urethra is enclosed in labia, therefore some faecal matter may remain trapped over there thus thading to bacterial build up. This build up may rise backward and infect the bladder and urethra. In males anal opening is far from urethra. There are also no chances of faecal matter to remain in contact of opening of urethra for a longer duration. Therefore the probability lowers in males.

So accordingly option c is right.

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