Why is my mother having recurrent UTI due to Enterococcus?

Q: My 52 years old mother has been suffering with urinary tract infection (UTI) for the last 2 months and is infected by the Enterococcus species, which causes a lot of itching and she has been taking Niftran for the last 2 weeks. What is Enterococcus and what is the reason for this?

A:Enterococcus is a bacteria commonly found in our gut, and not an unusual cause of urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infections are not uncommon in females and easily respond to short-term antibiotics. The infections, which do not respond to 2 to 3 days treatment, or recur at short intervals, are called complicated Urinary tract infections and need to be investigated in details for any anatomic abnormality or any other causative factor. Such females need a detailed urological and gynaecological evaluation to find such a cause and treat it to prevent recurrences.