This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ronald, A. R. Articles by Turck, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Ronald, A. R. Articles by Turck, M. Agricola Articles by Ronald, A. R. Articles by Turck, M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1971 June; 21(6): 990-992
Copyright © 1971 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Failure of Urinary Beta-Glucuronidase Activity to Localize the Site of Urinary Tract Infection

Department of Medicine, University of Washington, and U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, Seattle, Washington 98114

ABSTRACT

The differentiation of renal from bladder bacteriuria is difficult on clinical grounds alone. To evaluate the correlation between site of infection and urinary beta-glucuronidase activity, 46 patients with well documented recurrent bacteriuria were studied by bilateral ureteral catheterization. Urinary beta-glucuronidase activity was also determined in 46 control subjects. In general, asymptomatic patients with renal bacteriuria, either unilateral or bilateral, had levels of enzyme activity in their urine comparable to patients with infection confined to the bladder and to normals. Only 4 of 25 patients with renal bacteriuria had significant elevations of urinary beta-glucuronidase. After localization of infection, 9 of 10 patients treated with kanamycin, a potentially nephrotoxic drug, developed significant elevations of urinary beta-glucuronidase. The results of these studies indicate that determination of beta-glucuronidase activity in urine is not useful in predicting the site of infection in patients with bacteriuria but may find a role in screening for early nephrotoxicity.