title: Identification of site of urinary-tract infections by antibody-coated bacteria assay.
abstract: Accurate identification of the site of urinary-tract infection (UTI) may be clinically and epidemiologically valuable. A review of the literature on the assessment of the antibody-coated bacteria (ACB) assay, a non-invasive technique introducted five years ago, shows that, compared with acceptable standards (bilateral ureteral catheterization or bladder washout), the overall sensitivity of the ACB assay is 83.1%, the specificity is 76.7%, the predictive value positive is 81.3%, and the predictive value negative is 78.8%. These findings suggest that the ACB assay has at present no role in the management of patients with UTI. Its usefulness as an epidemiological tool remains to be demonstrated.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000919:Antibody-Coated Bacteria Test, Urinary; D002648:Child; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D014513:Ureter; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000382:microbiology*; D014546:Urinary Catheterization; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*