Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Are urine cultures enough to find infections in dogs
By Sycamore, K F et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2014·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of urine and bladder or urethral mucosal biopsy culture obtained by transurethral cystoscopy in dogs with chronic lower urinary tract disease: 41 cases (2002 to 2011).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic urinary tract issues underwent a procedure called transurethral cystoscopy to collect samples from their bladder and urethra. The study found that both urine samples and mucosal biopsy samples showed similar results in identifying bacteria, with about 66% of dogs testing negative and 17% testing positive for infections. However, in some cases, the biopsy samples were more likely to show the presence of E. coli bacteria. The findings suggest that while urine cultures are generally reliable, cystoscopy may be helpful for dogs with ongoing urinary problems that don't show up in urine tests.
People also search for: dog urinary tract infection symptoms · dog cystoscopy procedure · E. coli in dog urine treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To compare aerobic bacterial culture of urine to cystoscopically obtained mucosal biopsies of the lower urinary tract in dogs. METHODS: Retrospective review of case records from dogs that had transurethral cystoscopy at a veterinary teaching hospital between 2002 and 2011. Dogs that had culture results from cystocentesis obtained urine and transurethral cystoscopically obtained mucosal samples were included in the study. Pathogens identified were compared between sampling methods. RESULTS: Forty dogs underwent transurethral cystoscopy for lower urinary tract disease on 41 occasions. There was significant (P = 0 · 0003) agreement between urine and mucosal biopsy cultures. Both cultures were negative in 66% and positive in 17% of dogs. There was a 17% disagreement between the sampling methods. Although not statistically significant, more mucosal samples than urine cultures were positive for Escherichia coli. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: There was a good agreement between pathogen identification from urine and lower urinary tract mucosal cultures. These results do not support the utilisation of transurethral cystoscopy to obtain biopsy samples for culture in dogs with urinary tract infection and positive urine culture. Individual cases with possible chronic urinary tract infection and negative urine culture may benefit from transurethral cystoscopy to obtain biopsies for culture.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24785940/