REAGENT STRIP TESTING OF ANTENATAL URINE SPECIMENS FOR INFECTION

Objective To compare reagent strip testing (RST) with microscopy and culture in identifying significant bacteriuria, and secondly, to consider potential cost savings if RST screening proved to be reliable. Design Prospective descriptive study. Setting Antenatal Clinic, Bristol Maternity Hospital. Subjects Eight hundred and ninety-eight women having urine testing in pregnancy for microscopy and culture either routinely or because of a clinical indication. Interventions The midstream specimens of urine had RST examination using Ames Multistix 8SG prior to being sent to the laboratory. Main outcome measure Significant culture (>10(5) colonies/ml) of a single organism in culture. Results The highest predictive value for a negative result of the urine culture (99.7%) was obtained when using four RSTs in combination. The RST for nitrite had a high predictive value for a positive urine culture (90%). The samples which gave a false negative result with RST screening were mainly infected with low grade urinary pathogens or genital tract contaminants. Conclusion RST screening for bacteriuria provides a reliable and cheap alternative to culture of all urine specimens.