Screening for urinary tract infection with the Sysmex UF-1000i urine flow cytometer

The diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) by urine culture is time-consuming and can produce up to 60 to 80% negative results. Fast screening methods that can reduce the necessity for urine cultures will have a large impact on overall turnaround time and laboratory economics. We have evaluated the detection of bacteria and leukocytes by a new urine analyzer, the UF-1000i, to identify negative urine samples that can be excluded from urine culture. In total, 1,577 urine samples were analyzed and compared to urine culture. Urine culture showed growth of 103 CFU/ml in 939 samples (60%). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and ROC decision plots were been prepared at three different gold standard definitions of a negative urine culture: no growth, growth of bacteria at