[Urinary tract infection in infants: use of urine specimens obtained by suprapubic bladder aspiration in order to determine the reliability of culture specimen of urine collected in perineal bag].
OBJECTIVE
To determine if culture specimens of urine collected in perineal bags is reliable in detecting urinary tract infections in infants.


METHODS
A prospective study was carried out in a pediatric emergency room of an urban teaching hospital. Forty-eight infants, 12 months old or less, requiring an uncontaminated urine specimen due to the evaluation of febrile illness, suspected urinary tract infection or to a previously contaminated urine culture specimen. Two consecutive urine specimens were collected for culture. A urine specimen was collected in a perineal bag and afterwards all patients underwent suprapubic bladder aspiration. Cultures were considered positive if pure growth of more than 1.000 colonies/ml developed in the suprapubic aspiration urine specimen.


RESULTS
Thirty-two infants had coincident cultures in both urine specimens. A positive culture specimen of urine collected in a perineal bag (pure growth of more than 100,000 colonies/ml) had high sensitivity (100%) and high specificity 88.6% in predicting positive cultures from urine obtained by suprapubic aspiration.


CONCLUSIONS
A urine culture specimen meticulously collected with a perineal bag is a good screening method for detecting urinary tract infection in low risk infants.
Benito Fernández
J
J
Departamento de Pediatría, Hospital de Cruces, Barakaldo, Vizcaya.
Sánchez Echániz
J
J
Mintegui Raso
S
S
Montejo Fernández
M
M
D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007709:Klebsiella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000652:urine*
Infección urinaria en el lactante: comprobación por punción suprapúbica del rendimiento del cultivo de orina obtenido por bolsa perineal.