Cranberries for Urinary Tract Infection (CUTI)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does cranberry extract reduce antibiotic use for symptoms of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections? A feasibility study.
IRAS ID
249672
Contact name
Oghenekome Gbinigie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford/Clinical Trials and Research Governance
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 30 days
Research summary
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the commonest bacterial infections affecting women and are usually treated with antibiotics. Because of frequent and sometimes inappropriate use of antibiotics, many bacteria have adapted so that they are no longer killed by antibiotics (antibiotic resistance). There has therefore been increasing interest in using non-antibiotic treatments. One such is cranberry extract. The sugars in cranberries are believed to prevent bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder, reducing the ability of bacteria to cause a UTI. Cranberries might also make it easier for antibiotics to surround and kill bacteria.
Women with a UTI will be invited to take part in a small-scale trial; the main aim of this trial is to test whether our trial design works and is acceptable to patients (called a ‘feasibility trial’). Women will be randomly assigned to one of three groups:
1) Treatment with antibiotics.
2) Treatment with antibiotics AND cranberry capsules.
3) Initial treatment with cranberry capsules, but also with an antibiotic prescription that they can take to the pharmacy if they don’t get better with cranberry alone (‘back-up antibiotics’).Participants will complete a diary for up to two weeks about their symptoms (e.g. pain on passing urine), how bad the symptoms are, how long they last, and whether or not they take antibiotics. Some women (both in and outside the feasibility trial) will be interviewed about how they manage UTIs and their thoughts on, or experience of, the trial. This will help in the planning of a subsequent larger trial. By comparing the information from different treatment groups on a bigger scale, we will be able to tell whether cranberries actually treat UTIs, reducing the need for antibiotics.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SC/0673
Date of REC Opinion
23 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion