A persistent, symptomatic urinary tract infection with multiple "negative" urine cultures

While urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often suspected on the basis of clinical symptoms and the finding of pyuria on urinalysis, the documentation of a bacterial UTI is based on the significant growth ofa uropathogen on an agar medium incubated at 35-37 degrees C. The recommended length of time for incubation has ranged from 24 to 48 hours. We present a case of a UTI associated with the slow-growing, gram-negative organism, Oligella ureolytica which was finally documented after incubation of an agar medium for more than 48 hours.