title: Septicemia secondary to urinary tract infection with colony counts less than 10(5) CFU/mL.
abstract: This study evaluates the importance of low-colony-count bacteriuria (less than 10(5) CFU/mL) in septicemia originating from urinary tract infections. In a 14-month period, 260 episodes of septicemia occurred. No clinical or microbiologic evidence for a source other than the urinary tract was evident in 68 (26.2%) cases. Of these 68 patients, 13 (19.1%) had colony counts less than 10(5) CFU/mL, and 6 of the 13 had colony counts less than 10(4) CFU/mL. Nine of the infections were community acquired and four were nosocomial. None of the nosocomial cases were associated with an indwelling catheter; four of the 13 patients were receiving chemotherapy and/or steroid therapy. These data support the thesis that some cases of septicemia in patients other than acutely dysuric women, can be caused by UTIs with low colony counts.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology