Testing by Sysmex UF‐100 flow cytometer and with bacterial culture in a diagnostic laboratory: a comparison

摘要

A large proportion of the samples tested in routine diagnostic microbiology laboratory are urine samples. The gold standard is bacterial culture, but a high proportion of samples cultured are negative. Unnecessary testing can be reduced and an improved service provided by an effective screening test. The Sysmex UF‐100 flow cytometer has been developed to count cells and casts accurately in urine samples. Its performance in a screening test was compared with bacterial culture by using 1005 consecutive urine samples, and cut‐off criteria were established. Cut‐off values of 3000 bacteria/μl and 111 WBC/μl provided the best discrimination. Of 1005 samples, 606 (60%) would be cultured. Sixteen samples that were not selected according to these criteria were culture positive. This was considered acceptable for our routine use. The use of a testing algorithm incorporating the Sysmex UF‐100 flow cytometer has improved the quality and efficiency of urine testing within the routine microbiology laboratory.