Hsu LS, Chen I, Yao CS, Huang YS, Chang JT, Wang HP, Fang NW. Uropathogens and clinical manifestations of pyuria-negative urinary tract infections in young infants: A single center cross-sectional study.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, IMMUNOLOGY, AND INFECTION = WEI MIAN YU GAN RAN ZA ZHI 2024;
57:609-616. [PMID:
38845335 DOI:
10.1016/j.jmii.2024.05.008]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Urine leukocyte count under microscopy is one of the most frequently used routine screening tests for urinary tract infection (UTI). Nevertheless, it is observed that pyuria is lacking in 10-25% of children with UTI. This study aims to determine the factors related to pyuria-negative UTI in young infants aged under four months old.
METHOD
This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 157 patients aged under 4 months old with UTI. All subjects had paired urinalysis and urine culture, which were collected via transurethral catheterization. According to the results of their urinalysis, the patients were then classified as UTI cases with pyuria and UTI cases without pyuria. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of both groups were analyzed.
RESULT
Among the 157 UTI patients, the prevalence of pyuria-negative UTI was 44%. Significant risk factors associated with pyuria-negative UTI included non-E.coli pathogens, younger age, shorter duration of fever prior to hospital visit, lower white blood cell (WBC) count upon hospital visit, and absence of microscopic hematuria.
CONCLUSIONS
We found that non-E.coli uropathogens were the strongest factor related to pyuria-negative UTI. The absence of pyuria cannot exclude the diagnosis of UTI in young infants, and it's reasonable to perform both urinalysis and urine culture as a part of the assessment of febrile or ill-looking young infants.
Collapse