Approach to a positive urine culture in a patient without urinary symptoms.
Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is a condition in which bacteria are present in a noncontaminated urine sample collected from a patient without signs or symptoms related to the urinary tract. ASB must be distinguished from symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) by the absence of signs and symptoms compatible with UTI or by clinical determination that a nonurinary cause accounts for the patient's symptoms. The overall purpose of this review is to promote an awareness of ASB as a distinct condition from UTI and to empower clinicians to withhold antibiotics in situations in which antimicrobial treatment of bacteriuria is not indicated.
Department of Medicine, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt), Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: trautner@bcm.edu.
Barbara W
BW
Trautner
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 3701 Kirby, Houston, TX 77098, USA.
Larissa
L
Grigoryan
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058345:Asymptomatic Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002983:Clinical Competence; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D028761:Withholding Treatment
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antibacterial agents; Asymptomatic bacteriuria; Guidelines implementation; Urinary tract infection