Validez de dos métodos de cultivo y recuento bacteriano empleados en el diagnóstico de infecciones urinarias

Abstract

The urocultive is the laboratory procedure that is more frequently carried out for the microbiologic diagnosis of urinary tract infections. Therefore, it is important to estimate the validity of bacterial count culture methods currently used. In this study, we processed 144 urine samples submitted for culture at the clinical laboratory of the Hospital Universitario del Valle in the city of Cali. All of the samples were cultured by the Kass methodology and "four strias" traditional method. Additionally, the samples were cultured employing the dispersion method with glass handle which was used as gold standard. For the Kass technique the sensibility was 40%, specificity was 87%, and positive and negative predictive values were 73% and 62%. In the four strias traditional methodology the sensibility was 48%, specificity was 84%, the positive predictive value was 73% and the negative predictive value was 65%. From the obtained results it was demonstrated that the evaluated techniques are not recommended for use in the clinical laboratory. © 1999 Corporación Editora Médica del Valle.