Urinary Tract Infection Flashcards
What is the difference between Asymptomatic Bacteriuria (ASB) and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?
ASB: isolation of significant colony counts of bacteria in the urine WITHOUT symptoms of UTI
UTI: isolation of significant colony counts of bacteria in the urine WITH symptoms of UTI
Asymptomatic Bacteriuria (ASB) is common
What are the only two populations that should be screened and treated for ASB?
Why?
- Pregnant women
- To prevent pyelonephritis, preterm labor, and infant low birth weight
- Screen at one of the first visits (12-16 weeks gestation)
- If bacteriuria, treat with active antibiotics for 4-7 days
- Patients going for urologic procedure in which mucosal trauma/bleeding is expected
- Prevent bacteremia and urosepsis
- Screen 2-3 days prior to procedure
- If bacteriuria, treat with active antibiotics as surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP)
- *this does not include placement of a urinary catheter
- *E.g., TURP (trans urethral resection of prostate, cystoscopy with biopsy)
Asymptomatic Bacteriuria (ASB) is common
List patient populations who should NOT be screened or treated for ASB. (Since treatment of ASB did not decrease the risk for subsequent UTI)
Children
Healthy women
Persons with diabetes
Elderly >= 70yo
Elderly in long-term care facility
Persons with spinal cord injury - catheter use
Persons with kidney transplant
Persons with indwelling catheter use
Why is non-treatment of ASB important?
(*except in the two adult populations)
Important opportunity to decrease inappropriate antibiotic use
(in line with antimicrobial stewardship programs)
Should patients with ASB + delirium, but without UTI symptoms, be treated with antibiotics?
No
- No evidence that delirium is a symptom of UTI in the absence of urinary symptoms
- ASB is not associated with delirium
Should patients with signs of systemic infection + delirium, but without UTI symptoms, be treated with antibiotics?
Yes
If signs of systemic infection are present, then we may start empiric antibiotics regardless of presence of UTI symptoms
Describe how the prevalence of UTI varies with age and gender
0-6months: males > females
- higher rate of structure and functional abnormalities of the urinary tract in boys
1-adult: females > males
- urethra is shorter, bacteria access bladder more easily
- prostate secretes antibacterial substances that confer additional protection
elderly >65yo: males = females
- prevalence is related to comorbidities (BPH, bowel incontinence, use of catheter)
What are the two routes of infection (pathogenesis) of UTI
- Ascending
- Colonic/fecal flora colonize the periurethra area/urethra and ascend to bladder and kidney (*in normal circumstance, urine in kidney and bladder should be sterile!)
- Higher risk in females due to shorter urethra, use of spermicides or diaphragms
- Enteric gram negative rods (enterobacteriaceae - E. coli, Klebsiella, Proteus) (*recall these are oxidase negative, lactose/non-lactose fermenting)
- Descending/Hematogenous
- Organism at distant primary site => bloodsteam (bacteremia) => urinary tract => UTI
- E.g., Staph Aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Impt to check if pt has bacteremia and any primary site of infection
What are some host defense mechanisms against the development of UTI?
- Bacteria in bladder stimulations micturition with increased diuresis
- Antibacterial properties of urine and prostatic secretion
- Anti-adherence mechanisms of the bladder mucosa (enzymes that prevent bacterial attachment to the bladder mucosa)
- Inflammatory response with polymorphonuclear leukocytes/neutrophils (PMNs), phagocytosis
How does size of the inoculum affect development of UTI?
As inoculum size increases (higher load of pathogens), increase risk of UTI
Inoculum size may increase due to urinary retention/obstruction (bacteria continue to multiply in bacteria and urinary tract without being passed out)
How does the virulence/pathogenicity of the microorganism affect the development of UTI?
Likelihood to cause disease
- E.g., bacteria with pili (e.g., E. coli) is resistant to washout or removal by anti-adherence mechanism of the bladder
What are some risk factors for UTI?
- Females > Males (shorter urethra)
- Sexual intercourse (vaginal to urethra area)
- Abnormalities of the urinary tract (e.g., prostatic hypertrophy, kidney stones, urethral strictures => all cause urinary obstruction, vesicoureteral reflux)
- Neurologic dysfunction (e.g., stroke, diabetes, spinal cord injury => urinary retention)
- Anti-cholinergic (SE: urinary retention)
- Catheterization (e.g., biofilms)
- Diabetes (neurologic dysfunction + sugar content in urine promote bacterial growth)
- Pregnancy
- Use of diaphragms and spermicides (alter flora, incr colonization of periurethrea and vaginal area)
- Genetic association (positive family history)
- Previous UTI (unresolved risk factors?)
What are some non-pharmacological advice for prevention of UTI?
- Drink lots of fluid to flush out bacteria (6-8 glasses a day)
*Caution if fluid restricted - CKD, HF - Urinate frequently, go when feel urge
- Urinate shortly after sex
- Wipe from front to back
- Wear cotton underwear and loose-fitting clothes (keep area dry)
*Avoid tight fitting jeans and nylon underwear which trap moisture - Consider alternative birth control methods
*Do not use spermicides, diaphragms, unlubricated condoms, spermicidal condoms
Describe the classification of complicated vs uncomplicated UTI
Uncomplicated:
- Healthy, premenopausal, non-pregnant women with no history of abnormal urinary tract
- Urinalysis and urine culture not routinely needed for uncomplicated cystitis, but needed for pyelonephritis
Complicated:
- UTI associated with conditions that increase the potential for serious outcomes, risk for therapy failure, recurrence of UTI
- Men, children, pregnant women
- Presence of complicating factors: abnormalities of urinary tract, genitourinary instrumentation, diabetes mellitus, immunocompromised host
- Urinalysis and culture indicated
- Confirm presence of infection
What are the subjective symptoms for lower UTI (cystitis) and upper UTI (pyelonephritis) respectively?
Cystitis:
- Dysuria, urgency, frequency, nocturia, suprapubic heaviness or pain, gross hematuria (blood in urine)
Pyelonephritis: (more systemic signs)
- Fever, rigors, headache, nausea and vomiting, malaise
- Flank pain, costovertebral tenderness (renal punch), abdominal pain
- Confirm presence of infection
What are the objective symptoms for UTI?
VITAL SIGNS AND LABS
- Temp >=38, HR >90, RR >22, BP <100, mental status
- TW (4-10 x 10^9 /L), neutrophils (45-75%), CRP (>40mg/L), PCT (cut off <0.25ug/L)
URINALYSIS
- Microscopic urinalysis (UFEME) lab
=> WBC >10 WBCs/mm^3 = pyuria [pus in urine]
=> RBC >5 / HPF or gross = hematuria [blood in urine]
=> Microorganisms - gram stain
=> WBC casts - masses of cells and proteins that form in renal tubules (indicates upper tract infection, kidney involvement)
*If squamous epithelial cells seen, likely suggest contamination of urine sample
- Chemical urinalysis, no lab
=> Nitrite - positive tests detects presence of gram-negative bacteria (*requires at least 10^5 bacteria/ml)
=> Leukocyte esterase (LE) - positive test detects esterase activity of leukocytes in the urine, correlates with significant pyuria (>10 WBCs/mm^3)
CULTURE
- Confirm presence of infection
What are the 3 methods of urine collection?
- Midstream clean-catch (discard 1st 20-30ml that may be contaminated with urethra colonizers)
- Catheterization
- Suprapubic bladder aspiration (needle to bladder)
- Confirm presence of infection
What could cause false negative in a nitrite dipstick test?
- presence of gram-positive organisms and P. aeruginosa
- low urinary pH
- frequent voiding
- dilute urine
- Confirm presence of infection
In what cases could absence of pyuria still suggest UTI?
- Diluted urine
- Patient has neutropenia (pt alr lack WBC)
- Confirm presence of infection
When should urine cultures be obtained?
Pre-treatment cultures needed for:
- pregnant (complicated)
- recurrent UTI (within 2 weeks)
- pyelonephritis
- catheter-associated UTI
- men with UTI (complicated)
NOT required for:
- uncomplicated cystitis (urinary symptoms + urinalysis dipstick positive sufficient)