Irvine Allister, Watt Joanne, Kurth Mary Jo, Lamont John V, Fitzgerald Peter, Ruddock Mark W
Clinical Studies Group, Randox Laboratories Ltd, Antrim, UK.
Res Rep Urol. 2024 Nov 27;16:327-335. doi: 10.2147/RRU.S483147. eCollection 2024.
Current diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the UK initially relies on self-reported patient symptoms with no point-of-care test robust enough to accurately identify the causative pathogen and inform on antibiotic susceptibility. In serious UTI cases, standard urine culture is regarded as the gold standard for diagnosis and involves direct isolation, culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing of pathogens. These methods are not suitable in initial UTI diagnosis and treatment because of the time taken to conduct these analyses (≥3 days). Inaccurate and slow diagnostics can lead to unnecessary or incorrect antibiotic prescribing, which can lead to increased antimicrobial resistance and poorer patient outcomes. Novel point-of-care testing devices are urgently needed to improve the diagnostics of UTIs. In this article, we highlight novel point-of-care tests which are in development that can detect UTI-causing pathogens rapidly and accurately. These devices require additional studies to prove their clinical utilities. Adoption of these technologies can empower general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists in prescribing decisions and improve antimicrobial stewardship.
目前英国对尿路感染（UTIs）的诊断最初依赖于患者自我报告的症状，且没有足够强大的即时检测方法能够准确识别致病病原体并提供抗生素敏感性信息。在严重的尿路感染病例中，标准尿液培养被视为诊断的金标准，包括对病原体进行直接分离、培养和抗生素敏感性测试。由于进行这些分析需要花费时间（≥3天），这些方法不适用于尿路感染的初始诊断和治疗。不准确和缓慢的诊断可能导致不必要或错误的抗生素处方，进而导致抗菌药物耐药性增加和患者预后变差。迫切需要新型即时检测设备来改善尿路感染的诊断。在本文中，我们重点介绍了正在研发的新型即时检测方法，这些方法能够快速准确地检测出导致尿路感染的病原体。这些设备需要进一步研究以证明其临床实用性。采用这些技术可以使全科医生（GPs）和药剂师在处方决策中更有能力，并改善抗菌药物管理。
