Urinary tract infections in the newborn: diagnosis from mid-stream urine specimens.

Mid-stream urines can be obtained for culture in the majority of neonates with a minimum of effort. Urines collected in plastic bags for cultures showed more than 10,000 organisms per ml. in over 50% of the specimens so obtained from healthy neonates. The use of bags or similar collecting devices should be discouraged. The use of skin disinfectants before obtaining the urine did not decrease the number of contaminants. A good mid-stream urine is more important in avoiding contamination than is the cleansing of the external genitals. Suprapubic aspiration or catheterization should be reserved for those infants in whom (a) repeat mid-stream urine cultures yield equivocal results and (b) the clinical situation does not allow time for repetition of a mid-stream urine culture.