Accuracy of antibody-coated-bacteria test in recurrent urinary tract infections.

Antibody coating of urinary bacteria was compared with results of ureteral catheterization studies in order to localize the site of recurrent urinary tract infections in 32 patients. The antibody-coated-bacteria test reliably detected infections in patients with upper urinary tract infection (16 of 17 patients), but false-positive results occurred frequently in patients with lower urinary tract infection (5 of 15 patients). The antibody-coated-bacteria test appears to be a useful screening test for localization of infection in patients with recurrent urinary tract infections.