Skip to Content
412-692-5325
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Skip to Content
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

The Forster Lab

Studying UTIs and the Urobiome in Children with Complex Genitourinary Tracts

Under the direction of principal investigator Catherine Forster, MD, MS, FAAP, this translational research lab is focused on studying urinary tract infections (UTIs) in people with complex genitourinary tracts. This mostly includes those with neurogenic bladders, either due to spina bifida or spinal cord injury.

People with neurogenic bladder often have bacteria in their urine, which can be normal or a sign of a UTI. It is currently difficult to tell when these bacteria are causing a UTI and when they are not. The reason it is important to determine whether or not bacteria in the urine are causing a UTI is to limit unnecessary antibiotics. People with neurogenic bladder get many antibiotics, which can lead to infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are difficult to treat. Our lab is focused on discovering ways to more accurately diagnose UTIs in people with neurogenic bladder.