Evaluation of diagnostic methods for urinary tract infections in chronic diseases patients : From routine screening to the automated VITEK System | ||||
| Microbes and Infectious Diseases | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 09 July 2025 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/mid.2025.392798.2876 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Huda Elias Ali  ; Waqas Saadi Mahmood
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| Department of Biology, College of Science, Tikrit University, Tikrit, Iraq | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common bacterial infections that require accurate diagnosis and antibiotic testing for effective treatment. This study aims to: first, emphasize the importance of routine urine culture testing in diagnosing UTIs; and second, compare the efficiency and accuracy of three diagnostic methods—traditional techniques, chromogenic media, and the VITEK system—in identifying bacteria that cause UTIs. Methods: One hundred urine samples were collected from individuals with UTIs, included healthy patients and those suffering from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer, in addition to patients with urinary catheters and pregnant women. All samples were diagnosed using traditional culture media, chromogenic medium, and VITEK 2 system, in addition to the antibiotic susceptibility test. Results: The results showed that the incidence of UTIs was higher among females, reaching 76.25%, compared to 23.75% among males with Gram negative bacteria outperforming Gram positive bacteria by 62.5%. Results of bacterial diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility testing using traditional methods, chromogenic medium, and the VITEK 2 system showed similar accuracy in identifying pathogens causing UTIs. However, each method has distinct characteristics that affect the speed, cost, and efficiency of diagnosis. Conclusions: VITEK is a fast and accurate automated system for diagnosing bacterial infections, ideal for cases needing urgent treatment. While VITEK is beneficial, traditional methods remain important, especially in resource-limited settings or for result confirmation and in-depth analysis. Combining VITEK and traditional methods provides the best and most comprehensive diagnostic approach, particularly when resources are scarce. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| UTIs; chromogenic media; VITEK system; Bacterial colony count | ||||
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