[Evaluation of a screening method for the rapid detection of bacteriuria]

A screening method for the rapid detection of bacteriuria through a combination of filtration and staining has been evaluated. 307 urine samples have been tested with both the regular colony enumeration on culture media and the rapid method. Taking 10(5) CFU/ml as a cut-off, the agreement was reached for 279 (90.9%) samples, 65 (21.2%) of which positive and 214 (69.7%) negative. Only 4 (1.3%) false negative and 24 (7.8%) false positive were obtained; false positive (whose real significance is further discussed) anyhow can be corrected after cultural confirmation. If the cut-off is lowered to 10(4) CFU/ml the frequency of agreements is slightly less (88.6%). From the operational side, the method is unsensitive to the antimicrobial content of the urines, and appears easy to apply and quite rapid: a sample needs not longer than 2 minutes to be processed.