Reliability of Rapid Urine Test for the Laboratory Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections among the Out-patients

Objectives: UTIs could be wrongly diagnosed by chromogenic dipsticks especially in the case of early infection. Hence, the need to evaluate the sensitivity of the dipstick in comparisms to conventional method, microscopy.

Methods: Sample size was obtained using standard normal distribution within 95% CI. Three hundred and seventy urine samples were collected after obtaining consent and ethical approval. WBCs and RBCs were counted after staining the slide and view at high-power microscope. All the positive samples were subjected to urinalysis using chromogenic dipsticks with ten biomarkers. The data was processed using descriptive statistics and represented with Graph Pad Prism version 6.01.

Results: The gender distribution 33.5% and 66.5% for male and female respectively while age ranges from less than 1 year to greater than 60 years. Only two hundred (200) had WBCs by microscopy with 0-4 cells (73.5%), 5-9 (9.5%) and 10+(17%). These positive samples were subjected to urinalysis. Among other biomarkers, protein and nitrite are 49.5% and 36% respectively. High alkalinity (pH 9) was observed in the 18% of the urine sample investigated. Out of the positive samples to microscopy, only 27.5% were confirmed positive by chromogenic dipsticks.

Conclusion: The sensitivity of the dipstick cannot be absolutely relying upon because of undetectable level of some enzymes required for the colour change. This can result into false negative in the diagnosis of UTIs.

Author(s):

JO Olayiwola*, SA Balogun, OE Ojo, DA Ojo and VO Ogunleye

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