After 180 years, is it time for something better for diagnosing UTIs?
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are a common source of outpatient encounters for all ages of patients, along with emergency department visits and hospital admissions. Standard urine culture (SUC) has been the mainstay for diagnosis and treatment options for over 100 years, yet 25% of female patients develop recurrent, persistent urinary tract infections. New technologies are now available that quickly provide increased ability to detect organisms along with improved susceptibility information. We discuss the clinical validity and utility data available for Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) coupled with pooled antibiotic susceptibility testing (P-AST) for managing urinary tract infections.