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}}</ref> which binds to the [[glans penis ]] of the infant.<ref name="Cunningham 1986">{{REFjournal

}}</ref> Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a [[complication ]] of [[circumcision]].<ref>{{REFjournal

The most common way of relieving a urinary tract infection is the administration of prescription antibiotics,<ref name="ginsburg uti"/> <ref name="McCracken 1989"/> if the infection does not clear up on its own. Drinking cranberry juice is a home remedy that may also help.

As [[circumcision ]] necessitates [[forced retraction]] of the foreskin, additionally creating an open wound that is vulnerable to additional infection, parents are advised against circumcision.<ref name="Outerbridge 1998"/> These functions suggest that the [[intact]] prepuce may offer protection against UTI if undisturbed. The [[foreskin]] provides two physical lines of defense in the intact male child, which are removed in circumcision: the preputial sphincter, which closes when a boy is not urinating, and a protected meatus (urinary opening), which is often inflamed and open in circumcised boys.<ref name="Cunningham 1986"/> Recently, Fleiss et al. (1998) reviewed the immunological functions of the prepuce. In addition, the sub-preputial moisture contains lysosyme, which has an anti-bacterial action.<ref name="Fleiss 1998"/> Oligosaccharides excreted in the [[urine]] of breastfed babies prevent adhesion of pathogens to uroepithelial tissue.<ref name="Marild 1990"/>

The notion that [[circumcision]] is a useful prophylactic against UTI has been laid to rest by the 1999 AAP Task Force on Circumcision.<ref name="AAP 1999"/> Instead, healthy, natural alternatives such as [[breastfeeding ]] and rooming-in must be given favor. Breastfeeding offers a wide range of benefits for both mother and baby. Circumcision is surgery, and as such it has attendant risks, which includes UTI itself. The proper treatment of UTI, if it occurs, is antimicrobial.<ref name="McCracken 1989" />