[Asymptomatic bacteriuria and pyuria during pregnancy].

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The presence of pyuria and the role of mixed culture in the diagnosis of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women have been evaluated METHODS: One hundred and sixty four pregnant women without any symptomatology have been studied using two cultures of mid-stream urine samples and pyuria quantification. In addition culture of bladder urine has been carried out in 17 of these patients (12 with pure cultures and 5 with mixed cultures). RESULTS: 110 samples were culture negative without pyuria; 7 were pure cultures with pyuria; 19 pure culture without pyuria and the remaining 28 patients yielded mixed culture with or without pyuria in the first culture. Twenty of these 28 mixed cultures were negative in the second culture. A estimated frequency of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy was 16% and pyuria was only found in 27% of pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria. CONCLUSION: The pyuria is not a useful marker for the diagnosis of asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy.