Evaluation of a new, semiquantitative screening culture device for urine specimens.
The EZ Streak urine culture device (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.) combines the advantages of both the dip-slide and the classic urine culture technique, enabling bacterial enumeration and isolation following a simple inoculation step. Five hundred clean-catch urine specimens submitted by outpatients attending a health maintenance organization were used to compare the EZ Streak with culture using a 0.001-ml loop. Complete agreement of colony counts determined by the two methods was obtained for 114 (91.2%) of 125 positive specimens, but 99.2% of the results agreed in clinical interpretation, indicating the presence or absence of bacteriuria. Overall agreement between the EZ Streak and culture was 95.7%. The sensitivity and specificity of the EZ Streak were determined to be 98.4 and 99.4%, respectively. For this patient population, the EZ Streak was determined to be a reliable replacement for routine urine culture.
Ferguson
J
J
Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, Georgia 30339, USA.
Tanner
J
J
Miller
J M
JM
D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology*