THE EFFICACY OF RAPID TESTS AND GRAM STAIN FOR EARLY DETECTION OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION

Urinary Tract Infections are one of the most common bacterial infections. The purpose of the present study is to determine the efficacy of Gram Stain and Urine dipstick test (Nitrite Leucocyte Esterase test) for rapid diagnosis of UTI. Urine samples obtained from the patients were evaluated for possible UTI by Gram Stain, Dipstick (Nitrite Leucocyte Esterase test) and Urine Culture. Using Urine Culture as gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were determined and compared. In conclusion, the reliability of Gram Stain was found higher compared to other Rapid tests.