Lecture 32: Urinary Tract Infection Flashcards
what are the 2 key pathogens involved in UTI
- E coli
- proteus
what family does E coli belong to
enterobacteriaceae –> found in the gut
what is bacteriuria
presence of bacteria in the urine
what does asymptomatic bacteriuria mean
presence of significant amounts of bacteria in the urine w/o symptoms of UTI
what would be considered significant bacteria in the urine
> 100,000 bacteria/ml of urine
what is an important factor about the urine sample to be collected
must be mid stream urine sample
what measurement of bacteriuria would be considered unlikely to be significant
< 1000 bacteria/ml or urine
what body sites and fluids are considered sterile
- blood
- cerebrospinal fluid
- joint fluid
- most body tissues beneath epi
what body sites/ fluids are considered non sterile
any site/fluid/tissue assc. w/ a mucosal surface that communicates w/ outside environment
e.g. skin, GIT., upper resp tract
why do non-sterile samples need to be brought to the lab quickly
bacteria in the sample will be replicating during transit so any delay means the sample won’t be representative of bacteria inside Px
what is the classic triad of UTI symptoms
- frequency
- urgency
- dysuria
what examples of people can develop asymptomatic bacteriuria
- elderly
- pregnant women
- those with neurological impairment that prevents them sensing or expressing symptoms
what are other symptoms to look for in catheter Px w/ UTI other than triad
- confusion
- smelly urine
- fever
what group of people are an exception to the rule about only treating people w/ symptoms
pregnant women
what are the basic principles of diagnosing infection
- take sample from inflamed organ site e.g. urine
- take blood also if sepsis suspected
- ## take samples (bacterial culture) before giving antibiotics
who can be treated for UTI w/o sample of urine being sent for culture and why
- women if their symptoms are convincing and a bedside test (urine dipstick) is suggestive of infection
why
- in some non hospital settings e.g. GP almost certainly a delay in getting samples to labs
what is cystitis
inflammation of the bladder