Proteinuria and Antibody-Coated Bacteria in the Urine

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Abstract
To the Editor: The detection of antibody-coated bacteria in urine by direct immunofluorescence to distinguish infection of the upper from that of the lower urinary tract appears to be gaining increasing acceptance.1 2 3 Some workers have reported problems of interpretation both with fungi and contaminating bacteria.4 5 6 We believe that a potentially more serious pitfall may not have been recognized up to now. Our hypothesis is that the coating of bacteria in urine with antibodies may sometimes be determined simply by the presence of proteinuria, provided immunoglobulins are present. Normal persons may have antibodies to many organisms that commonly cause urinary-tract . . .