Clinical studies of bacteriuria in renal transplantation recipients. Correlation with pyuria and symptomatic genitourinary tract infection

The clinical state of bacteriuria and its correlation with pyuria and symptomatic genitourinary tract infection (GUTI) were studied in 42 renal transplantation recipients who were followed up in the Kidney Center of Tokyo Women's Medical College over 6 months and who showed bacteriuria more than 3 times between January and December in 1987. The results were as follows. 1) Of the 42 recipients, bacteriuria was found less than 5 times in 19 patients, 6 to 10 times in 18 patients and more than 11 times in 5 patients. There was a tendency for the same bacteria to be isolated several times from the same patient. The most commonly isolated bacterias were Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Serratia and E. coli. 2) Bacteriuria was accompanied by pyuria in 33 patients (79%) and by symptomatic GUTI in 12 patients (29%). Bacteriuria without pyuria was shown in 9 patients (21%) without symptomatic GUTI and it was suggested that bacteriuria did not result in graft hypofunction after two years. 3) Of 16 patients with bacteriuria accompanied by pyuria, symptomatic GUTI occurred in 9 patients (56%). Of these, one patient was found to have VUR of the transplanted kidney, another was found to have VUR of the native kidney, and a third patient died due to interstitial pneumonitis presumably as a result of overimmunosuppression. Transplantation recipients with bacteriuria accompanied by pyuria develop symptomatic GUTIs frequently and should be treated with proper antibacterial agents. When bacteriuria continues, further examination should be performed for an organic disease of the urinary tract or an overimmunosuppressed state. When a patient shows bacteriuria without pyuria, chemotherapy is not needed and it is sufficient to observe the course carefully.