agar and Bacteriuria

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Catheterization; Centrifugation; Culture Techniques; Filtration; Glycosuria; Humans; Mass Screening; Methods; Nitrites

Topics: Adult; Agar; Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Blood Urea Nitrogen; Clinical Trials as Topic; Culture Media; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Female; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Klebsiella; Male; Middle Aged; Neisseria; Proteus; Pseudomonas; Salmonella; Shigella; Staphylococcus; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pyogenes; Urinary Tract Infections

A total of 1023 urine samples sent for routine culture were plated onto sheep blood and MacConkey agars and a BBL CHROMagar Orientation (CO; Becton Dickinson, Cockeysville, Md.) plate, and the results were compared. Of these, 250 urine samples (24%) grew >10000 CFU of one or two putative pathogens/ml and 773 showed no growth (NG), mixed growth of <10000 CFU/ml, or three or more strains (mixed). The CO and conventional medium results agreed completely for 595 cultures with NG or <10000 CFU/ml. An additional 178 urine samples yielded clinically insignificant differences. Both medium sets essentially agreed on quantities and identification for 400 single-pathogen cultures and 9 mixed cultures. With the caveat that CO cannot differentiate Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Serratia spp., enteric pathogens were identified only by morphology and color on CO. Direct visual differentiation of group B streptococci from lactobacilli is not possible, but lactobacillus cells always exhibited easily recognizable morphology on Gram stain. Of 108 paired organism susceptibility results encompassing 2268 drug-pathogen combinations, there were 3% errors and only 1% very major errors. Use of CO allowed a >50% reduction in inoculation time and a >20% reduction in work-up time. For our laboratory, with 50% "no growth" and ca. 25% significant results (50% Escherichia coli), CO allowed time and workup cost savings for a majority of cultures. A cost analysis (time and supplies for our laboratory) showed that if CO is used alone, the break-even level for CO pricing is US dollars 1.78; if CO and blood agar are both used, the break-even pricing for CO is US dollars 1.53.

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriuria; Costs and Cost Analysis; Culture Media; Humans

The Granada agar plate (GAP; Biomedics SL, Madrid, Spain) was evaluated for the detection of group B streptococci (GBS) in urine specimens from pregnant women submitted for testing for asymptomatic bacteriuria and was compared with blood agar (BA [Columbia agar with 5% sheep blood]; bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). The GAP detected 103 out of 105 GBS, whereas BA detected only 50. Use of the GAP could be a good method for the detection of GBS in urine specimens from pregnant women.

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus agalactiae; Urine

This study evaluates the effect of training on the results from Uricult Trio and an established urine culture when used at primary healthcare laboratories in two Swedish counties, Uppsala and Värmland. Urine cultures and dipslides, Uricult Trio, performed at these laboratories were interpreted a second time at central laboratories. Interpretation errors at the primary healthcare laboratories were calculated. Primary healthcare laboratories also received external control panels with urine cultures and dipslides. There was one study period each year for 3 years in Uppsala and for 2 years in Värmland. A training programme was completed between study periods in Värmland. In Uppsala, primary healthcare laboratory results could be reviewed, as interpretations by the central laboratory were returned to them. The main outcome measures were the percentage of interpretation errors which, in the first study period, was 33-39%. This dropped to 15-19% in the second study period. In the results from the external control panels there were no striking differences between the studied areas and Sweden as a whole, except that Uppsala showed a better result in reporting E. coli and failed in 10% compared to Sweden 46%. A method for both quality assessment and education is to ask the primary healthcare laboratories to send cultures to the central laboratory for interpretation requesting their return to the primary healthcare laboratory with the interpretation from the central laboratory attached.

Topics: Agar; Bacteriuria; Colony Count, Microbial; Escherichia coli Infections; Female; Humans; Male; Point-of-Care Systems; Primary Health Care; Quality Control; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Research Design; Sweden; Urinary Tract Infections

The microbiological performance of BBL CHROMagar Orientation medium and CPS ID2 agar was compared to that of Columbia agar with 5% sheep blood and MacConkey agar without crystal violet for the enumeration and presumptive identification of bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections. Of a total of 658 clinical urine specimens, 118 specimens yielded no growth, 402 specimens yielded growth with cell counts of > or = 10(5) CFU/ml, and 138 specimens yielded growth with cell counts of < 10(5) CFU/ml. Of the specimens with cell counts of > or = 10(5) CFU/ml, 163 were pure cultures and 239 were mixed cultures. A total of 266 Escherichia coli organisms were isolated on both chromogenic media, 260 were isolated on blood agar, and 248 were isolated on MacConkey agar. One strain (0.4%) failed to develop the expected pink color on CHROMagar Orientation medium, and 23 strains (8.7%) failed to develop the expected pink color on CPS ID2 agar. Enterococci (CHROMagar Orientation medium, n = 266; CPS ID2 agar, n = 265) produced small blue-green colonies on both chromogenic media. Fifty of the mixed cultures contained enterococci that were detected only on the chromogenic media. The Klebsiella-Enterobacter-Serratia (KES) and the Proteus-Morganella-Providencia (PMP) groups could be identified on both chromogenic media. Of 66 isolates of the KES group, 63 grew with the expected color on CHROMagar Orientation medium and 58 of 64 isolates grew with the expected color on CPS ID2 agar. Other microorganisms required further identification. The use of chromogenic medium formulations offers a time-saving method for the reliable detection, enumeration, and presumptive identification of urinary tract pathogens. One of the greatest advantages of these media is the easy recognition of mixed cultures.

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; Enterobacter; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Humans; Klebsiella; Proteus; Providencia; Serratia; Urinary Tract Infections

We compared organisms isolated by selective culture media with those isolated by routine bacteriological methods using the same urine specimens. Urine was obtained by suprapubic bladder aspiration from 84 patients suspected of having asymptomatic bacteriuria, including 31 catheterized patients. The selective media included mannitol salt agar, Enterococcus faecalis agar, nalidixic acid cetrimide agar, and desoxycholate hydrogen sulfide lactose agar with polymyxin B or cefsulodin. Colony counts on the selective media approximated to those on heart infusion agar, except for desoxycholate hydrogen sulfide agar with polymyxin B, where the number of organisms was underestimated. In 24 patients the selective media detected a total of 32 strains not reported by the hospital laboratory. The unreported strains included coagulase-negative staphylococci (41%), other cocci (38%), enterobacteriaceae (9%) and glucose-nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli (9%) and fungi (3%), with the number of organisms being mostly < 10(5)/ml. The majority of the unreported strains coexisted with dominant gram-negative bacilli or enterococci. These results indicate that low-count organisms coexisting with dominant organisms tend to be missed by the routine bacteriological methods.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Agar; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Child; Child, Preschool; Colony Count, Microbial; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged

A new commercial agar (Uricult-Trio) with 8-hydroxyquinoline-beta-glucuronide was used to assess 2,536 uropathogens for beta-glucuronidase activity typical of Escherichia coli. Included in the study were 1,807 strains of the family Enterobacteriaceae, 284 strains of nonfermentative bacilli, 345 strains of gram-positive cocci, and 100 yeast strains. In identifying E. coli, the test agar gave a sensitivity of 95.5% and a specificity of 97.2%. Fifty E. coli isolates gave negative reactions; 31 non-E. coli strains produced black colonies characteristic of E. coli. No growth of gram-positive cocci and no false-positive reactions from yeasts were observed. The recovery rate for E. coli on this agar was at least 10% higher than that on blood agar.

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Diagnostic Errors; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Hydroxyquinolines; Quinolines; Sensitivity and Specificity; Urinary Tract Infections; Urine

Three diagnostic tests, Nitur, Urobact, and Uricult, were evaluated in the detection of bacteriuria in 865 pregnant women. As reference method agar culture was performed. Heavy growth (greater than 10(5) CFU/ml) of urinary tract bacteria was considered a true positive result and demonstrated in 58 (6.7%) of the women, 14 of whom had gram-negative rods. The sensitivity of the nitrite test was extremely low (0.13). The test gave negative results in eight of 17 specimens yielding heavy growth of Escherichia coli or Proteus mirabilis. Although the Urobact test was highly sensitive as regards gram-negative infection, it had an unacceptably low (0.27) predictive value in positive tests. The sensitivity of the Uricult test was low (0.35) in this study. The predictive value (0.50) of a positive test result may be acceptable, since just over half of the false positive results were explainable by moderate growth of urinary tract pathogens (10(4)-10(5) CFU/ml). It is argued that semi-quantitative urine culture may be preferable to the rapid diagnostic methods studied for the screening of bacteriuria in pregnant women.

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Female; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Humans; Predictive Value of Tests; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Escherichia coli; Humans

MacConkey agar and Cystine-Lactose-Electrolyte-Deficient (CLED) agar, media widely used in the bacteriological laboratory and recommended for the detection of urinary tract infections, were sterilized by gamma-radiation at a dose of 1.5 Mrad. Both were modified and adapted to radiation sterilization by adding sodium thioglycollate as a radioprotectant, and by increasing their indicator content. The media performed well when tested with different Enterobacteria and other micro-organisms. Growth and change of indicator reaction were equal in irradiated and autoclaved culture media. Culture media were also evaluated after storage for one month at room temperature and at 4 degrees C and compared well with freshly autoclaved media.

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Cobalt Radioisotopes; Culture Media; Gamma Rays; Sterilization

Results of a comparative study for the detection of significant bacteriuria (greater than 10(5)/ml) under routine conditions in 300 urine samples were reported. The urine specimens were obtained from patients of different clinical departments of our university hospital. Only midstream urines were investigated. The results from ATP determination with bioluminescence, quantitative determination of colony forming units and a semiquantitative method with standard loop were compared. The obtained data with different methods show a good correlation. Only four cases (1.3 per cent) were classified false negative and 10 urines (3.3 per cent) false positive with the bioluminescence method. In contrast to the conventional methods the results from bioluminescence assay can be obtained within 30 min.

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Firefly Luciferin; Humans; Luciferases; Luminescent Measurements

The aim of this study is to check the clinical relevance of a new cultural method for the detection of urinary tract infection especially in urine samples containing residue of antimicrobial agents. The new procedure concerns a urine collecting and cultivating cup (UCCC Biotest Serum Institute), containing a recovery agar (RA5) with incorporated chemotherapeutica antagonists. The efficiency of the UCCC is compared with the familiar dip slide coated with cystein lactose electrolyte deficient (CLED) agar and MacConkey agar. A collective of 305 children is considered in this study. The investigation was carried out before starting, three to five days after starting and three to five days after stopping the chemotherapy. The highest correlation between the microbial count in urine samples and the whole clinical diagnosis was achieved with RA5. The lowest correlation was attained with MacConkey agar. With CLED agar a good correlation was determined before starting therapy, a modest correlation during therapy and very good correlation after stopping therapy. Regarding relapses and reinfections the detection quote of relevant bacteriuria during therapy amounted to 90% as RA5 was used, 62% with CLED agar and 34,5% with MacConkey. RA5 proved very useful for follow-up purposes, especially during treatment with antimicrobial agents and may be considered as a susceptibility testing in vivo.

Topics: Adolescent; Agar; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriuria; Child; Child, Preschool; Culture Media; Humans; Infant; Methods

Five hundred and seven strains of bacteria isolated from the urine of patients with significant bacteriuria (more than 10(8) colony-forming units per litre) were tested for sensitivity to co-trimoxazole by the agar diffusion technique. Each organism was tested with a combined disk containing trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole in a primary sensitivity test and, at a standardised inoculum, with both a combined disk and separate disks of trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole. The results show that combined disk testing does not always indicate the sensitivity patterns of the organisms being tested.

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriuria; Drug Combinations; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Sulfamethoxazole; Trimethoprim

beta-glucuronidase activity is an exclusive characteristic of E. Coli and some shigellae among Enterobacteriaceae and Vibrionaceae. An agar medium (PGUA agar) which permits the detection of bacteria with beta-glucuronidase activity in mixed cultures was evaluated as a primary culture medium for clinical samples of urine. The medium was selective for enterobacteria and yielded significantly higher recoveries than MacConkey agar. Based on the examination of 3,460 urine samples, it was found that the use of the PGUA agar has several advantages over conventional methods: 1) 94% of all E. coli cultures could be identified on the basis of their appearance on the primary plates; 2) The use of the PGUA method did not result in any misidentidications as compared to 1% of cultured misidentified by the conventional procedure; 3) Approximately one-half of the urine samples which contained E. coli as the sole organism could be reported following the reading of primary culture plates; 4) The application of the PGUA medium resulted in a 46% reduction in the cost of media employed and a 67% reduction in the time required for the processing of urine samples.

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Glucuronidase; Humans; Serotyping; Urine

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriuria; Humans

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Drug Packaging; False Positive Reactions; Humans

The frequency of symptomatic and unapparent bacteriuria in infants and children of preschool age is estimated to be 1 to 2%. Ca. 5% of all girls and less than 0.5% of all boys between the ages of 6 and 19 years undergo bacteriuria. Women suffer from it to 5 to 15% during pregnancy and diabetics of about 10 to 20%. The sensitivity and specificity of different screening processes are evaluated with reference to numerous publications. It appears that the agar slide, which is in use all over the world, is markedly superior to all other methods with respect to price, handling and sensitivity, The only weakness of this method is frequent failure in the presence of inhibitors in the urine sample.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Agar; Aged; Bacteriuria; Child; Child, Preschool; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Mass Screening; Middle Aged; Pregnancy; Serologic Tests; Urinary Tract Infections; Urine

Topics: Agar; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; Glomerulonephritis; Humans; Kidney; Kidney Calculi; Mycoplasma; Mycoplasma Infections; Phenacetin; Punctures; Pyelonephritis; Ureter; Urinary Bladder; Urine

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Female; Humans; Male; Mass Screening; Methods; Specimen Handling; Temperature; Time Factors

Several new methods for detection of bacteriuria were studied to evaluate their usefulness as screening procedures. A new filter paper device incorporating dehydrated media and tetrazolium was found to be reliable when compared with the standard pour plate method in the laboratory and with the dip-slide method in a field test. It failed to detect yeasts and slowly growing streptococci. Antibiotics blocked the test when susceptible organisms were present. An agar-cup method was found to be quite reliable, but could be improved by use of differential media. The Griess test was confirmed in a small trial to be highly specific when used in conjunction with a first morning specimen, but of little value with random specimens. Phenzopyridine was found to give false positive reactions. The subnormal glucose test, although highly sensitive and specific, gave too many false positive tests to be useful other than as a screening method.

Topics: Agar; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Diagnosis, Differential; Evaluation Studies as Topic; False Positive Reactions; Female; Filtration; Glycosuria; Humans; Indicators and Reagents; Methods; Tetrazolium Salts; Urinary Tract Infections

Topics: Agar; Ammonia; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriuria; Chlorides; Culture Media; Indicators and Reagents; Manganese; Methods; Mycoplasma; Urea; Urease

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Agar; Age Factors; Aged; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Child; Chronic Disease; Culture Media; False Positive Reactions; Female; Gels; Humans; Male; Methods; Middle Aged; Pyelonephritis

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Female; Humans; Indicator Dilution Techniques; Male; Mass Screening; Methods

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Catalase; Culture Media; Diagnostic Errors; Humans; Nitrites; Tetrazolium Salts; Urinary Tract Infections

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; Disposable Equipment; Humans; Methods; Plastics

Topics: Agar; Bacteriocins; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Blood; Bone and Bones; Cross Infection; Humans; Mitomycins; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas Infections; Sputum; Tracheotomy; Ulcer; Wound Infection

Topics: Adolescent; Agar; Bacteriuria; Child; Denmark; Female; Humans; Male; Mass Screening; Pilot Projects; School Health Services

Topics: Agar; Animals; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Blood; Culture Media; Diagnosis, Differential; Enterobacter; Escherichia coli; Glycerol; Humans; Klebsiella; Methods; Nitrobenzenes; Proteus; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Sheep; Staphylococcus; Streptococcus

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Humans; Staining and Labeling

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; Culture Techniques; Female; Humans; Methods; Pregnancy; Pyelonephritis

Topics: Adolescent; Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Child; Child, Preschool; Culture Media; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Methods; Urinary Tract Infections

Topics: Agar; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Diagnosis, Differential

Topics: Agar; Alcaligenes; Bacteria; Bacteriuria; Chloramphenicol; Diffusion; Doxycycline; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Escherichia coli; Haemophilus influenzae; Humans; Klebsiella; Methods; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Oxytetracycline; Proteus; Pseudomonas; Respiratory System; Species Specificity; Staphylococcus; Streptococcus; Tetracycline

Topics: Agar; Animals; Bacteria; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriuria; Blood; Diagnosis, Differential; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Indicators and Reagents; Methods; Pyelonephritis; Sheep; Tetrazolium Salts

Topics: Agar; Bacteria; Bacteriuria; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Methods; Urinary Tract Infections

Topics: Agar; Bacteriuria; Culture Media; Humans; Methods; Microscopy; Urinary Tract Infections; Urine

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Agar; Aged; Bacteria; Bacteriuria; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Methods; Middle Aged; Urine