A novel screening method for pediatric urinary tract infection using ordinary diapers

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections in children. The symptoms of UTI in young children are nonspecific, therefore urine should be examined whenever UTI cannot be ruled out. In clinical settings, however, collecting urine from children who are not toilet trained is sometimes difficult, presenting a challenge in UTI management. Here, we developed a “diaper UTI test”, which enables the quick detection of pyuria in ordinary diapers, and investigated its sensitivity and specificity in a clinical study. The diaper UTI test is based on a leukocyte esterase reaction. Reagent was prepared in liquid form so that it can be absorbed by disposable diapers, where it will produce a violet color in the presence of pyuria. For the clinical study, we enrolled children younger than 3 years with potential UTI who underwent bladder catheterization for urine culture and urinalysis. Of the 65 children included, 21 were diagnosed with UTI. The sensitivity and specificity of the diaper UTI test were 90.5% (95% CI 69.6–98.8) and 93.2% (95% CI 81.3–98.6), respectively. Because of its convenience and good sensitivity, the diaper UTI test may be useful in the screening of pediatric UTI.

Clinical Utility and Accuracy of UTI Calculator for Estimating the Probability of Urinary Tract Infection in Young Febrile Children

“…Using a diaper screening test and LE, researchers in Japan discovered a much greater rate. [18] The sampling technique and sample size might be to blame for the discrepancy in the prevalence of UTI.…”

Tissue-resident memory T cells in the kidney

“…T cells can respond to peptides from pathogens [ 21 ]. One of the most common infections in the kidney is bacterial urinary tract infection, affecting young children and adults alike [ 52 – 54 ]. Urinary tract infection is often caused by gut bacteria.…”

“…Urinary tract infection is often caused by gut bacteria. Escherichia coli is responsible for more than 80% of urinary tract infections in immunocompetent individuals [ 52 – 54 ]. In mouse studies, pyelonephritis induced by E. coli results in a significant increase in the number of renal T RM cells [ 18 ] (Fig.…”