Rapid detection of urinary tract infection caused by Escherichia coli or Proteeae species.

Beta-glucuronidase and phenylalanine deaminase tests for screening urine specimens to provide rapid reporting (2 hours) of Escherichia coli and Proteeae species were evaluated. A total of 2,318 urine specimens were processed for these two tests. For the detection of Escherichia coli in urine, the sensitivity and specificity of the beta-glucuronidase test were 0.96 and 0.99 respectively; predictive positive and negative values were 0.97 and 0.99. For the detection of Proteeae in urine, the sensitivity and specificity of the phenylalanine test were 0.92 and 0.99. Predictive values were 0.99 for a negative test and 0.95 for a positive test. The data suggest that beta-glucuronidase and phenylalanine deaminase tests performed directly in urine sediment have potential usefulness as rapid and reliable tests that are easy to perform and interpret for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli or Proteeae species.