A new method for detection and localization of urinary infection: the fluorescence antibody test.

The urinary sediment of 56 patients with active urinary infection were studied through a direct immunofluorescence technique in order to detect the presence of antibody-coated bacteria (ACB). In 35-36 pyelonephritis cases the results were positive. However, in 11 cases with lower urinary infection there was no sign of ACB. A pathological intravenous pyelogram (IVP) was obtained from 33 pyelonephritic cases. In 32 cases the fluorescent antibody (FA) test was positive, in one it was negative. In the remaining 3 pyelonephritic cases the IVP was normal and the FA test positive. In these 3 cases cystograph revealed presence of urethral-vesical backflow. A good statistical correlation was obtained by comparing the positive results of the test with the titer of sericeous antibody against the bacteria causing the infection. We have introduced some variations to the original method which permits simpler administration of this test to ambulatory patients and increases the diagnostic possibility of those cases of bacteriuria less than 100,000 bacteria/ml.