TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Genitourinary Tract Infections A1 - Sorensen, Mathew A1 - Walsh, Thomas J. A1 - Haider, Maahum A. A2 - Papadakis, Maxine A. A2 - McPhee, Stephen J. A2 - Rabow, Michael W. A2 - McQuaid, Kenneth R. PY - 2022 T2 - Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2022 AB - Urinary tract infections are among the most common entities encountered in medical practice. In acute infections, a single pathogen is usually found, whereas two or more pathogens are often seen in chronic infections. Coliform bacteria are responsible for most non-nosocomial, uncomplicated urinary tract infections, with Escherichia coli being the most common. Such infections typically are sensitive to a wide variety of orally administered antibiotics and respond quickly. Nosocomial infections often are due to more resistant pathogens and may require parenteral antibiotics. Renal infections are of particular concern because if they are inadequately treated, loss of kidney function may result. A urine culture is recommended for patients with suspected urinary tract infection and ideally should be obtained prior to the initiation of antibiotic therapy. Previously, a colony count greater than 105/mL was considered the criterion for urinary tract infection, though up to 50% of women with symptomatic infections may have lower counts. In addition, the presence of pyuria correlates poorly with the diagnosis of urinary tract infection, and thus urinalysis alone is not adequate for diagnosis. With respect to treatment, tissue infections (pyelonephritis, prostatitis) require therapy for 1–2 weeks, while mucosal infections (cystitis) require only 1–3 days of therapy. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/23 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1184183785 ER -