The relation between urinary tract infections and stone composition in renal stone formers

During a seven-year period (1975-1981) a total of 1325 patients hospitalized for stone disease were studied as to the occurrence of positive urine cultures. Urinary stones from 535 surgically treated patients were analyzed with infrared spectrophotometry and the relationships between stone composition, level of surgery and bacteriological strains were studied. Positive urinary cultures were found in 34% of the surgically treated patients and in 21% of those not operated upon. Among the surgically treated patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) E. coli was the most frequent microorganism (35%), followed by Proteus (28%). Patients with Proteus infection had the highest frequency of UTI episodes, most of which occurred before hospitalization. There was a higher frequency of magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) calculi among patients with Proteus infection than among those with non-Proteus infection, in whom no difference in stone composition was found. Patients infected with E. coli had more phosphate-containing stones (CaP+MAP) than non-infected patients. The highest frequency of oxalate calculi (CaOx+CaOx/CaP) was found among patients without infection. No E. coli infections were seen in male patients with CaP and MAP calculi. MAP stones were most often found in the kidney and oxalate stones in the ureter.