Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How boric acid affects urine culture results in dogs and cats
By Rowlands, M et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2011·Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The effect of boric acid on bacterial culture of canine and feline urine.
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how to best send urine samples from dogs and cats suspected of having urinary tract infections (UTIs) for testing. Researchers found that samples sent without any preservative were more likely to show positive results for bacteria compared to those sent with boric acid, which reduced the chances of detecting an infection. For accurate results, it's best to submit urine samples in a plain sterile tube without any additives. This way, your veterinarian can get the most reliable information to diagnose and treat your pet's UTI effectively.
People also search for: dog urinary tract infection treatment · cat UTI symptoms · how to collect dog urine for testing
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify the optimal method of submission of canine and feline urine for bacterial culture. METHODS: Cystocentesis samples from 250 animals (200 dogs, 50 cats) suspected of having urinary tract infections were collected. The reference aliquot, without preservative, was processed on site within 2 hours. Two further aliquots (one without preservative, one with boric acid) were stored at room temperature for up to 7 hours and then posted by guaranteed next day delivery to a commercial laboratory for analysis. RESULTS: Forty-seven of the samples were positive on culture in the reference test. There was no significant difference between reference test results and those of samples posted without preservative (P=0·39), but samples posted in boric acid were significantly less likely to give a positive result (P=0·01). Samples posted without preservative had a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 98%; for boric acid, sensitivity was 73% and specificity 99%. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Postal urine samples should be submitted to the laboratory in a plain sterile tube.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21967098/