The Pathogenicity of Staphylococci Isolated from the Urine

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Levine and Cheevy detd. the incidence of coagulase positive and coagulase negative staphylococci isolated from patients with infections of the urinary tract. Of 2,745 specimens of urine from 1923 patients, 661 (40%) contained staphylococci; of these, 169 revealed coagulase positive staphylococci and 492 contained coagulase negative staphylococci. Approx. half of the specimens containing coagulase negative staphylococci yielded growth only in liquid media. The presence of staphylococci, both coagulase positive and coagulase negative, on all media is associated in most cases with leukocytes and erythrocytes in the urine. Coagulase positive and coagulase negative strains, when in liquid media alone, are associated with few or no leukocytes or erythrocytes in the urine. Of the 34 cases with coagulase positive organisms in the urine, which were isolated on all media, 18 (53%) had a history of some recent operative manipulation on some part of the urinary tract or the surrounding area. The coagulase test is the most useful single method of determining the potential pathogenicity of the staphylococci; furthermore, staphylococci may be considered as contaminants if they are present in liquid media only and not on solid media or in the sediment. The presence of staphylococci in all media and in the sediment indicates actual infection, the coagulase negative strains causing only a bacteriuria, whereas the coagulase positive strains may come from a focus of infection.

This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit: