Bacturcult in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection

Colony counts on 122 clean-catch mid-stream urine specimens were determined with Bacturcult and compared with those obtained using the quantitative pour plate method. The suggested criteria for using Bacturcult resulted in an unacceptably high number of false positive cultures. It has been shown that over 100 colonies in the proscribed area on the cellophane sleeve correlated well with pour plate colony counts of over 100 000/ml. Bacturcult was found to be a simple and convenient method for performing a quantitative colony count on a urine specimen. It could be recommended for use in domiciliary practice, out-patient clinics and in population screening programes.