ABSTRACT
Background: Nosocomial infections are a group of infectious diseases acquired during hospitalization. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection is the most common nosocomial disease in catheterized patients. The first sign of this infection is symptomatic or asymptomatic bacteriuria or funguria. The aim of this study was to determine the point prevalence of funguria and urinary tract infection as well as their etiological agents in foley catheter users
Patients and Methods: Over a seven- month period, a total of 509 urine samples from 101 catheterized patients at Shariati Hospital, Tehran, were collected. Uncentrifuged urine samples were used for colony count. Culture, direct examination and leucocyte count were done on urine sediments. Identification of etiological agents was performed by conventional methods and API 20C-Aux commercial system
Results: Bacteriuria, funguria and mixed infections were observed in 33.7 percent [34 cases], 11.9 percent [12 cases] and 16.8 percent [17 cases] of the cases, respectively. The prevalence rate of funguria was 21.27 percent for males and 35.1 percent for females. The etiological agents were: Candida albicans [24 cases], Candida glabrata [4 cases] and Cryptococcus laurentii [1 case]. The highest number of colony forming units in 1 milliliter of the urine was 185000. None of the patients showed signs of urinary tract infection. Nine patients developed funguria after replacement of the catheter
Conclusion: The presence of yeasts in the urine should not be considered as a sign of urinary tract infection, particulary in the presence of foley catheters, however, it may increase the risk of urinary tract infection