Experience of three-day trimethoprim therapy for dysuria-frequency in primary health care

Dysuria-frequency in 78 patients was treated for 3 consecutive days with 300 mg trimethoprim administered in a single dose at night. Symptomatic cure was noted in 90% of the patients one week after initiation of therapy. In this investigation a positive urinary culture was found in 74% of the patients and bacteriological cure was obtained in all patients but one. A new infection was registered in 2 patients when controlled one week after the start of therapy. The isolated microorganisms were Escherichia coli in 52% of the cases and Staphylococcus saprophyticus in 29%. The high frequency of the latter offers an explanation to the low reliability of the nitrite dip test in diagnosing significant bacteriuria in this study.