[New diagnostic possibilities: urinary sediment digestion in an attempt to determine the etiology of urinary tract infections].

A selected sample of patients of juvenile age underwent this examination. They shared not only the common symptoms of inflammation, but also the incapability of isolating bacteria from the urine, or at least their insufficient isolation. A midstream urine specimen was collected and cultivated by Sanford's quantitative culture method. Following the staining of the urinary sediment by Gurr's method, the quantity of mucus and mucoid aggregates was estimated semiquantitatively. The rest of sediment was digested by lauryl sulphate in different concentrations. The aim of this research was to examine the influence of the depolymerization of mucus and other protein-like materials in urinary sediment on bacterial cultivation, as well as to find possible differences between the tested method and classical Sanford's urinary culture method. The difference in the number of cultivated bacterial species before and after digestion was significant (p < 0.01). Different bacterial species were cultivated in 15 patients, the dominant species being Escherichia coli. It was cultivated 16 times, applying the method of digestion by lauryl sulphate in different concentrations, without previous cultivation by Sanford's method. All cultivational differences were noticed after the digestion of urinary sediment rich in mucus and mucoid elements.