EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL AND MICROSCOPICAL METHODS FOR MASS DETECTION OF BACTERIURIA

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Abstract
As part of the search for a satisfactory screening test for bacteriuria suitable for mass detection, a comparison has been made of the tests that might be useful (Uroscreen, T.T.C. test, nitrite‐nitrate incubation test, catalase test, and microscopy of urine for bacteriuria and pyuria) and of quantitative urine culture, which have been carried out in parallel. The results have been compared with the earlier published results obtained by the respective methods.None of the above screening tests has been found to fulfil the demands that should be placed on a test designed for mass detection. As regards the Uroscreen, T.T.C., and nitrite‐nitrate incubation tests and microscopy of the urine for bacteriuria, their sensitivity was good but their specificity unacceptably low. Microscopy for pyuria and the catalase test showed too low sensitivity and specificity. The nitrite test was the only test with acceptable specificity but its sensitivity was too low to render it acceptable as the only screening method for mass detection. Various types of simplified urine‐culture methods and Scherstén's glucose method remain to be evaluated.