Sediment Microscopy, Nitrituria, and Leukocyte Esterasuria As Predictors of Significant Bacteriuria

Abstract

Chemical strips for urinalysis have been introduced which test for presence of leukocyte esterase and bacterial nitrite. When either one of these two tests is positive, there is a high(0.5) probability of urinary tract infection as demonstrated by significant bacteriuria (10(5) colonies/ml urine) on followup cultures. When both tests are negative, there is low probability (0.03) of significant bacteriuria.