Laboratory diagnosis of urinary tract infections in adult patients by gram stain

Abstract

UTIs are one of the most frequent bacterial infections, and they account for a major portion of the workload in clinical microbiology laboratories. The most common cause of UTIs is enteric bacteria (Escherichia coli). The most concerning trend is the rise in antimicrobial resistance, notably resistance to trimethoprime sulfamethoxazole, which has been observed in E.coli.

Among the diagnostic tests, urinalysis is effective primarily for excluding bacteruria, urin culture, and Gram stain are required for outpatients with recurring or complex UTIs, as well as inpatients who develop UTIs.

Our findings revealed that the urine Gram stain's sensitivity, specificity, and specificity for detecting E.coli were 80 percent and 83 percent, respectively.