This is the Guardian.

It can start with a suspicious twinge.

An urgent need to pee, tummy pain.

Then comes the burn.

Anyone who's had a urine retract infection knows how agonizing they can be.

Some infections go away on their own. Many need antibiotics. Simple.

Except beneath the surface of this very common infection,

there's a lot of mystery, unanswered questions, and unnecessary

suffering.

And it gets to the heart of the challenge of tackling antimicrobial resistance.

Once you get a recurrent UTI, I am afraid that the chances of getting another one are quite high.

It's almost as if you don't clobber it the first time,

it's more likely to get entrenched and come back again and again.

About 20 to 30% of all UTIs recur within about six months. But for some, they never go away.

I literally kept a record of how often I was having to go to the Lou,

and it was eight times in an hour every hour every day and of course when that happens to you

you withdraw into your own world of pain.

Chronic UTI also present another problem. Often the infections don't show up on tests.

It was like being slapped in the face first of all and at the time I was naive enough to think well the doctor's no best and if they're telling me there's no infection, then, okay, it must be something else.

But as researchers learn more about the problem bacteria,

they're understanding why our current tests and treatments just aren't up to scratch.

You know, I know it's a terrifying and awful thing, but it's also really fascinating and I have

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