Localization of Urinary-Tract Infections by Detection of Antibody-Coated Bacteria in Urine Sediment

Abstract

To evaluate the presence of antibody-coated bacteria in the urinary sediment as a means of localizing the site of urinary-tract infection, the results of examinations for antibody-coated bacteria were correlated with a direct method for localizing the infection site, the bladder washout. In 25 patients, the findings by both technics agreed; in only one case was there disagreement. In three patients the bladder-washout technic gave uninterpretable results. Thus, the presence of antibody-coated bacteria correlates closely with upper-urinary-tract involvement — i.e., renal bacteriuria. The technic appears to be a sensitive, reliable, noninvasive means of differentiating infection of the upper from that of the lower urinary tract. (N Engl J Med 290:591–593, 1974)