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Fastidious bacteriuria and pyuria
Giornale Di Batteriologia, Virologia Ed Immunologia
|January 1, 1985
Summary
Investigating fastidious organisms in urine cultures, this study found Lactobacilli were the only significant isolates. Due to collection challenges, these findings suggest Lactobacilli may often be contaminants in urine samples.
Area of Science:
- Clinical microbiology
- Urology
- Infectious diseases
Background:
- Urine cultures are crucial for diagnosing urinary tract infections.
- Fastidious organisms can be missed by standard culture methods.
- Pyuria and bacteriuria can indicate infection but may also arise from other causes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence of fastidious organisms in mid-stream urine specimens.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of selective and non-selective media for isolating these organisms.
- To determine if Lactobacilli in urine cultures represent true infection or contamination.
Main Methods:
- Collected 346 mid-stream urine specimens with pyuria/bacteriuria but no growth on routine culture.
- Utilized two culture systems: one with non-selective media and one with selective media.
- Identified any isolated fastidious organisms using standard microbiological methods.
Main Results:
- Lactobacilli were the only fastidious organisms isolated in significant numbers.
- Equivalent numbers of Lactobacilli were recovered using both selective and non-selective media.
- The isolation of Lactobacilli was consistent across test and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Lactobacilli are the primary fastidious organisms found in urine specimens exhibiting pyuria/bacteriuria without typical bacterial growth.
- Given the challenges in mid-stream urine collection, Lactobacilli are likely contaminants rather than causative agents of infection.
- Further investigation into urine collection techniques may be warranted to differentiate true pathogens from contaminants.