Overview
- The peer-reviewed paper, published Monday in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, found cranberry juice increased the activity of fosfomycin against uropathogenic E. coli.
- Across 32 clinical isolates, the effect appeared in 72% of strains and the rise of resistant mutants fell sharply.
- Researchers linked the boost to changes in bacterial sugar-uptake pathways that control the GlpT and UhpT transporters used by fosfomycin.
- The findings come from in vitro tests, so it is unclear whether juice metabolites reach urinary infections or what dose would benefit patients.
- The study, funded by the Cranberry Institute, points to dietary adjuvants as a way to strengthen existing UTI treatments as resistance grows.