Microbiology of urine samples obtained through suprapubic bladder aspiration: A 10-year epidemiological snapshot

Suprapubic bladder aspiration is an invasive procedure in which a needle is used to obtain a urine sample directly from the bladder. Its advantages are sensitivity (detection of significant bacteriuria is close to 100%), suitability for cultivation of anaerobic bacteria, and low risk of contamination. Our purpose was to characterize the microbiology and epidemiology of urine samples obtained through this procedure in the Clinical Center of the University of Szeged’s Institute of Clinical Microbiology between 2008 and 2017. Over the 10-year period, patient data were collected and suprapubic bladder aspirations were performed, and the samples are processed in accordance with routine laboratory procedures in clinical bacteriology. Of 187 urine samples obtained from 148 patients, 32.6% (n = 61) were culture-positive (defined as 102 colony forming units/ml or more). This method should be considered an important sampling procedure in the differential diagnostics of upper urinary tract infections, particularly in children <2 years of age, and in older people, hospitalized patients.