Abstract

EVALUATION OF GRAM STAIN OF UNCENTRIFUGED URINE AS A SCREENING TEST FOR CLINICAL ISOLATES FOR DIAGNOSIS OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION.

J. G. Sawant* and Y. K. Khillare

ABSTRACT

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an important health problem affecting millions every year. It is more common in females than males. Evaluation of suspected UTI includes history, physical examination and laboratory investigation. Urine analysis for presence of pus cells, bacteria and culture are important in the adequate management of UTIs. Significant portion of urine specimens submitted to clinical laboratories fail to grow any pathogen besides; there is substantial delay of 24-48 hrs in obtaining culture results. Hence, patients are usually treated by by empirical antibiotic therapy. There is problem of emergence of drug resistance and also ineffective treatment when using empirical treatment. Few screening methods which quickly identify those specimens are likely to result in no growth are Gram stain of urine, pyuria by microscopy and leukocyte esterase test. There have been conflicting results for sensitivity and specificity of screening methods used to diagnose UTI. 50 urine samples subjected to Gram stain and culture Gram stain was evaluated for its validity as screening methods by calculating sensitivity, specificity, Positive and Negative predictive value.

Keywords: Gram stain, Urinary tract infection, Sensitivity, Specificity.