Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bacteriuria rates in 18 male cats with urinary block catheters
By Hugonnard, Marine et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2013·University of Lyon, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Occurrence of bacteriuria in 18 catheterised cats with obstructive lower urinary tract disease: a pilot study.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Eighteen male cats with a blockage in their urinary tract were catheterized for 48 hours to help manage their condition. During this time, about one-third of the cats developed a urinary tract infection, with common bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus being the main culprits. The study found that the presence of bacteria in the urine was a strong sign of infection, but it was hard to tell if the bacteria were causing an active infection or just present without symptoms. The researchers noted that while some cats showed signs of infection, others did not, making it tricky to diagnose.
People also search for: cat urinary tract infection symptoms · blocked cat urinary treatment · catheterized cat infection signs
Abstract
The incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections in cats catheterised for an obstructive lower urinary tract disease (LUTD) has not previously been evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of significant bacteriuria in cats with obstructive LUTD managed for 48 h with a closed urine collection system. Eighteen male cats admitted for a non-infectious obstructive LUTD were evaluated. This was a prospective study. A standard protocol was used for aseptic catheter placement and maintenance. Three urine samples were collected from each animal through the catheter immediately after placement, 24 h after placement and just before removal. All samples underwent complete urinalysis, including bacterial culture. Catheter tips were tested by bacterial culture. Six cats (33.3%) developed significant bacteriuria during catheterisation. The causative bacteria were common feline uropathogens (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus species) in five cases, and Streptococcus bovis in one. One cat developed a fungal infection. The presence of bacteria in urinary sediment was correlated strongly with positive urine culture results. The catheter tips from 10/18 cats (55.5%) were positive for culture. The positive predictive value of a positive culture from the urinary catheter tip was 87.5%. The specificity was 53.8%. The same infectious agents were cultured from both urine and catheter tip in six cases. In summary, one-third of cats developed significant bacteriuria during catheterisation. Silent bacteriuria could not be clearly differentiated from true urinary tract infection. The presence of bacteria in the urinary sediment was strongly indicative of bacteriuria. The specificity of urinary catheter tip culture was low.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23400682/