Criteria for the diagnosis of urinary tract infection and for the assessment of therapeutic effectiveness.

Three parameters--urinary symptoms, pyuria, and bacteriuria--can be used independently or in combination to define the presence of urinary tract infection. Using these parameters, several approaches to defining urinary infection in various clinical contexts are discussed. Similarly, approaches to the definition and classification of therapeutic outcomes after antimicrobial treatment are explored. Further research is needed to more precisely evaluate the effectiveness of various criteria for diagnosis and cure of urinary infection.