[Specific immune response in asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy]

Specific antibodies against bacteria isolated from urine have been searched in the serum of pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria, utilizing passive hemagglutination, direct agglutination and indirect immunofluorescence methods. Of the 475 examined women 35 (7.3%) showed positive urine culture; 88.5% of these women had an elevated specific antibody titer in their serum. Our studies support the hypothesis that asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women might represent a signal of latent urinary tract infection.