Novel Technologies for the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections

Overview

Journal J Clin Microbiol

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2025 Jan 6

PMID 39760497

Authors

Tomas Bermudez

Jonathan E Schmitz

Malcolm Boswell

Romney Humphries

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) impose a substantial burden on patient quality of life and urine testing accounts for the majority of workload in many clinical microbiology laboratories. Traditional UTI diagnosis relies on symptoms, urinalysis, and culture which are interpreted based on historical guidelines. This approach, while foundational, presents limitations, particularly in complex cases. Low-level bacteriuria and the presence of fastidious organisms are often overlooked or entirely missed in standard urine culture, stressing the need for novel diagnostic methods and technologies. This mini-review summarizes the existing state of UTI diagnostics in 2024 and covers current and upcoming technologies including rapid molecular-based pathogen identification, next-generation sequencing, and advanced antimicrobial susceptibility testing. However, these methods represent unique challenges, and as they are implemented, they will require the field to adapt to new concepts to avoid misdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Citing Articles

Rapid diagnosis of urinary tract infection with miniaturised point-of-care cultivation on a dipstick.

Iseri E, Jakobsson G, Bertling S, Ozenci V, Ekelund O, van der Wijngaart W Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025; .

PMID: 40063324 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-025-05088-7.

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