[Topographic diagnosis of urinary infections by the technic of antibody fixation on urinary bacteria]

The antibody-coated bacteria (ACB) test has been proposed as a means of localizing urinary tract infections. The authors' own results and a review of the literature showed 85% ACB-positive tests in tissue infections and 93% ACB-negative tests in lower urinary tract infections. The discrepancies observed from one series to the other are due to a number of factors such as lack of standardized technique, differences in results between monospecific and polyspecific antisera, variability of some bacterial properties and categories of patients investigated. When standard techniques are used and patient populations are homogeneous, these discrepancies are reduced and the ACB test appears as the best of available method to evaluate the renal risk in urinary tract infections.