What is Batteriuria?
Bacteriauria is a medical term that indicates the presence of significant amounts of bacteria in the urine . The detection of these microorganisms is a probable indicator of urinary infections in progress, given that urine is normally sterile (as opposed to faeces, which are very rich in bacteria).
However, there is the possibility that bacteriuria is fictitious, because it is caused by bacterial contamination of the urine sample during collection or transport, for example due to poor hygiene of the hands or external genitals.
Causes - Urinary infections
Bacteriuria is generally associated with the presence of a single bacterial strain in the urine, the most common of which is Escherichia Coli ; other Gram negative enterobacteria (Proteus, Klebsiella) and Gram positive (Enterococco faecalis) are mainly responsible for outpatient infections.
In the hospital setting, instead, urinary infections are mainly supported by Escherichia Coli, Enterococcus faecalis but also by Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and others.
Symptoms
The clinical picture associated with bacteriuria is very varied; it can in fact go from the complete absence of symptoms (in this case we speak of asymptomatic bacteriuria ) to the presence of local symptoms, in particular urination disorders. Among these, the symptoms typically associated with urinary infections are represented by: painful, difficult and hesitant urination (difficulty in emptying the bladder, weak or intermittent urine jet), frequent urination but not associated with the increase in diuresis, and bladder tenesmus, that is, a painful and involuntary contraction of the urinary sphincter, associated with the continuous need to urinate and an overubjective discomfort. Sometimes bacteriuria is also associated with general symptoms such as fever, malaise, nausea and vomiting, especially if the infection has spread to the kidneys (pyelonephritis).
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of bacteriuria arises by analyzing a sample of urine, which must be collected by the patient in the manner described in the article urine culture.
The diagnosis of urinary infection is positive if the urine culture shows a significant bacterial load (> 105 colonies / ml).
The antibiogram, on the other hand, provides very useful information on the type of bacterium that generated the infection and on its susceptibility to specific antibiotics. In recent years, automated systems have been developed that can speed up the response times of the various urinary samples to be tested for bacteriuria.
Pregnancy bacteriuria
At the extremities of life the incidence of bacteriuria, although remaining greater in females, is similar between the two sexes, while in adulthood women are much more subject to this condition than men. During pregnancy, an innate physiological predisposition - given by an urethra close to the vaginal meatus, close to the anus and shorter than the male one - are added various predisposing factors, which make bacteriuria a rather common problem. Furthermore, the search for bacteria in the urine (urine culture) is carried out for screening purposes around the sixteenth week of gestation. This test is necessary to avoid the risk that ongoing bacterium diseases - whether symptomatic or not - may complicate into pyelonephritis (kidney infections), which in turn are associated with a modest increase in premature births and in weight and developmental reduction general of the unborn child.
Care
Among the general measures to be taken after the diagnosis of bacteriuria, rest and good hydration are important (more than 2 liters of water in 24 hours); even the use of special herbal teas can help this purpose by diluting the bacterial load present in the bladder and facilitating its expulsion.
The medical treatment of bacteriuria is instead based on the use of antibiotics, such as cephalosporins and quinolones.
For more information, read: Cystitis treatment drugs »
To avoid antibiotic resistance, it is important that the patient completes the prescribed therapeutic cycle, even if the conditions improve significantly after a few days of treatment.
During pregnancy, antibiotic intervention is also recommended in the presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria, due to the already mentioned risks of renal infection with possible negative consequences on the health and development of the fetus.
For more information, read: Medications to Treat Cystitis in Pregnancy »
