Friday, June 2, 2006—Swedish researchers have discovered that the body produces its own internal antibiotic to help defend itself against urinary tract infections.

Although it was once thought that urine passing through the urinary tract prevented bacteria from accumulating in its membranes, researchers at the Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm have proven differently. Instead, they found that the body produces an antibacterial peptide, called LL-37, that helps prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs).

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