Determining the severity of urinary tract infections (UTIs) relies on patient reporting of symptoms, a difficult task when working with pediatric populations. Failure to identify severe cases of UTI can result in dangerous complications including renal scarring and urosepsis. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) serotype correlates with magnitude of pro-inflammatory responses and is predictive of clinical UTI severity. Screening for the predominant LPS serotype in a sample will determine which patients are likely to develop severe disease and require therapeutic interventions.