DECEMBER 2022
CHALLENGING THE UTI TESTING GOLD STANDARD
Though women and older adults are most vulnerable, many people will experience a urinary tract
infection (UTI) during their lifetimes. These common infections of the urinary system impact the
kidneys, bladder, or urethra. In the United States alone, UTIs account for more than 8 million
doctor visits each year . Though not typically life threatening, UTIs can cause serious
complications if left untreated and UTI-related hospitalizations cost an estimated $2.8 billion
annually in the United States .
For patients with UTIs, antibiotics are the most prescribed treatment . However, suspected UTI
is one of the most common causes of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in inpatient settings .
During a recent webinar, speakers from Acutis Diagnostics, Inc. discussed the benefits of
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for diagnosing UTIs compared to standard urine culture.
Given the prevalence of UTIs, it’s important that patients receive the right diagnostic test so
they can be prescribed the most appropriate treatment.
Urine culture is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests in healthcare and is currently
considered the gold standard for diagnosing UTIs . Still, this gold standard is not without its
drawbacks, according to Dr. Becky Winslow, BS, PharmD, Clinical Science Liaison at Acutis. While
presenting, Dr. Winslow dove into the challenges posed by culture. “The standard urine culture
was not actually validated for use in identifying lower urinary tract microorganisms. Yet for
more than 60 years, the medical community has relied upon the standard urinary culture for
identifying urinary pathogens,” said Dr. Winslow.
According to Dr. Winslow, urine cultures can result in a high number of false negatives. They
are biased to grow E-coli, rather than detect slow growing organisms, fastidious and nonaerobic
organisms, or most gram-positive organisms. Ultimately, the culture can miss many bacterial
species, which can prevent patients from being prescribed the appropriate treatment. Previous
exposure to antibiotics can also skew a culture’s results, and polymicrobial infections can be
misinterpreted as sample contaminations. Additionally, the culture has a long turnaround time –
taking up to 72 hours for a result.
“This has led to undiagnosed and misdiagnosed urinary tract infections, as well as
antimicrobial resistance,” said Dr. Winslow.
By Thermofisher Scientific, Dec 15, 2022