Indian Journal of Comparative Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases

The urinary tract infections are among the most common bacterial infections observed in all age groups. The diagnosis of urinary tract infections was compared in 200 midstream urine samples using bacterial culture and urinary nitrite detection tests. The nitrite testing was done using a nitrite kit. Escherichia coli was the predominantly isolated organism followed by Enterobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Streptococcus and Yeast. The percentages resulting from our study were 23.5% samples positive for culture and urinary nitrite, whereas 34% negative for both, 28% samples were found to be false positive and 14.5% were false negative. Due to these observed percentages of false positivity and false negativity of nitrites, culture method is found to be more reliable.