Detection of bacteriuria in women attending local authority antenatal clinics using the dip-inoculum transport medium spoon method.

Four hundred and seventy-eight pregnant women attending local authority clinics in Portsmouth were screened for bacteriuria using the dip-inoculum transport medium (DITM) spoon method. The detection of asymptomatic bacteriuria in 5% of the patients with a very low proportion of equivocal results (0.83%) suggests that this is an efficient method; and large numbers of urine specimens could be sampled with relatively little work for the laboratory. A cystine-MacConkey medium was devised for incorporation in the spoons. General practitioners treated the women with bacteriuria, and remained responsible for home delivery and postpartum examinations. The possibility of successful cooperation between non-hospital clinics, a bacteriological laboratory, and general practitioners is demonstrated.