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Background: Urinalysis based on microbiological culture and manual microscopy requires expertise and is labor intensive. Automated screening could save time and improve patient management in clinical settings.
Methods: We evaluated the fully automated cobas u 701 analyzer for identifying infection-negative urine samples using 2,046 anonymized samples from a routine pathology laboratory. Samples containing ≥ 40 white blood cells (WBC)/µL and/or ≥ 100 bacteria/µL were considered positive. For microbiological cultures: pure growth of ≥ 108 colony-forming units (cfu)/L was considered significant; > 107 cfu/L was considered significant for pregnant women, children < 12 years, immune-compromised/critical care patients or patients with > 100 WBC/µL.
Results: The cobas u 701 analyzer identified 1,346 positive samples, giving a 65.7% culture rate. Sensitivity and negative predictive value were high (> 99%). Most replicates were within two standard deviations of the original measurement.
Conclusions: The cobas u 701 analyzer is an effective screening tool for routine urinalysis and demonstrates rapid turnaround times, thus benefiting patients and clinicians.
DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2018.180612
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