Validation of rapid tests to detect urinary tract infection

Abstract

There are several rapid dip stick tests currently in use to detect urinary tract infection (UTI). This study was carried out to validate three different dip sticks that are widely used with urine culture which is the gold standard to diagnose UTI. The findings of the current study suggest that the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the three dipsticks are not statistically different from each other and are comparable to sedimentary microscopy. These these three dipsticks can therefore be used instead of urinary sedimentation method. However low positive predictive value (PPV) of all three dipsticks is a major limitation. Further studies with large sample size are needed to evaluate their value in clinical practice.

Keywords

• urinary tract infection, leukocyte esterase, nitrite, sediment microscopy, urine analysis