title: Bacteriuria in cats with feline lower urinary tract disease: a clinical study of 134 cases in Norway.
abstract: Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) is considered to be one of the most common diagnoses in feline patients. Several authors have concluded that feline idiopathic cystitis is the most common cause of FLUTD, whereas infectious cystitis is diagnosed in only 2% of the cases. In the period from January 2003 to February 2005, 134 cats that presented with signs of lower urinary tract disorders were included in a study at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science. Ninety-seven percent were first opinion cases. All the cats went through a physical examination, and blood samples were collected for haematology and clinical chemistry. The urine analysis included urine stix, specific gravity, microscopic examination of the sediment and microbiological culturing. The urine samples were collected as voided mid-stream urine samples, by catheter or by cystocentesis and the method used was registered. Of the 134 cats included in the study, 37% were diagnosed as having obstructive and 63% as having non-obstructive FLUTD. In total 44 cats (33%) were diagnosed with bacteriuria, exceeding 10(3) colony forming units per millilitre (cfu/ml) and 33 (25%) of these cats had bacterial growth exceeding 10(4) cfu/ml, either alone or in combination with crystals and/or uroliths. Six cats (18%) with bacterial growth exceeding 10(4) cfu/ml were older than 8 years. No significant difference was found between the sampling methods performed with regard to bacteriuria. This study indicates that bacteriuria may have been underdiagnosed in Norwegian cats with clinical signs of FLUTD. It also confirms the importance of microbiological culturing in first opinion cases with FLUTD and that a skilled operator can get representative samples regardless the choice of method.
authors: Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway. Anna.Eggertsdottir@veths.no
authors: Anna V
authors: AV
authors: Eggertsdóttir
authors: Heidi S
authors: HS
authors: Lund
authors: Randi
authors: R
authors: Krontveit
authors: Henning
authors: H
authors: Sørum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000652:urine; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012621:Seasons; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000662:veterinary; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary
references: BMC Infect Dis. 2006 Mar 17;6:54
references: 16545130
references: J Feline Med Surg. 2003 Apr;5(2):133-8
references: 12670440
references: J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2001 May 1;218(9):1429-35
references: 11345305
references: Tijdschr Diergeneeskd. 2004 Jun 15;129(12):394-6
references: 15232961
references: Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 1996 May;26(3):571-88
references: 9157655
references: J Small Anim Pract. 2005 Dec;46(12):571-7
references: 16355731
references: J Vet Med Sci. 1999 Jan;61(1):37-40
references: 10027161
references: Vet Microbiol. 2001 Sep 3;82(1):81-9
references: 11423198
references: Microbiol Immunol. 2003;47(10):797-802
references: 14605446
references: J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1997 Jan 1;210(1):46-50
references: 8977647
references: J Feline Med Surg. 2003 Jun;5(3):191-6
references: 12765630
references: J Vet Med Sci. 1998 Mar;60(3):287-90
references: 9560773
references: Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2005 Jan;35(1):147-70, vii
references: 15627632
references: J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1991 Jul 15;199(2):211-6
references: 1653776
references: Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 1996 Mar;26(2):297-304
references: 8711864
references: N Z Vet J. 1997 Jun;45(3):100-8
references: 16031963
references: J Small Anim Pract. 2004 Mar;45(3):144-7
references: 15049572
references: J Clin Microbiol. 1976 Oct;4(4):326-9
references: 977732