ANTIBODY‐COATED BACTERIA IN THE URINE OF INFANTS AND CHILDREN WITH THEIR FIRST TWO URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Abstract

The presence of antibody-coated bacteria in urine is an indicator for renal bacteriuria in adults with chronic UTI. To evaluate this method (ABCU test) in pediatric patients, 128 infants and children with their 1st UTI were investigated. Twenty-nine patients of the 78 who had a first clinically defined upper UTI had antibody-coated bacteria in urine. The test was seldom (2/20) positive in the infants < 6 mo. In the older patients (27/58 ABCU-positive) the frequency of positive tests increased with the duration of symptoms. When the symptoms lasted for over 1 wk, 11 out of the 13 children with their 1st upper UTI showed antibody-coated bacteria in urine. Four of the 36 first lower UTI and 5 out of the 14 asymptomatic cases were ABCU-positive. The patients were followed-up for an average of 9 mo. Those who were classified as having 1st upper UTI had in most cases a positive ABCU test in recurrences, independently of the clinical picture. The recurrences after the 1st lower UTI showed antibody-coated bacteria in urine only when the recurrence was classified as upper UTI on the grounds of the clinical criteria used.