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The following is a summary of “Predictive Factors in Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Treatment: Results From a Single-Center Rural Veterans Hospital ,” published in the November 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Yazdi et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to determine the factors associated with antibiotic treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) and to determine the prevalence of ASB treatment before and after the 2019 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Practice Guidelines update.  

They reviewed charts of adults admitted to a rural Veterans Affairs Hospital in White River Junction, Vermont, with culture-confirmed bacteriuria. Individuals not meeting the National Healthcare Safety Network criteria for urinary tract infection diagnosis were considered ones with ASB.  

The results showed the prevalence of antibiotic treatment for ASB was 58% (61/106). Patients over 80 years had 3.73 times greater odds of receiving antibiotics for ASB (adjusted odds ratio 3.73, 95% CI 1.43–9.71, P < 0.01). Leukocytes >5/hpf on urinalysis were significantly linked to antibiotic treatment for ASB (adjusted odds ratio 4.45, 95% confidence interval 1.19–16.57, P = 0.03) with no significant difference observed in ASB treatment before and after 2019.  

Investigators concluded that older age and increased leukocyte count on urinalysis were significant predictors of antibiotic treatment for ASB, and the 2019 IDSA guidelines on avoiding antibiotic treatment for ASB were not widely adopted in clinical practice for hospitalized patients at their institution.   

Source: journals.lww.com/infectdis/abstract/2025/01000/predictive_factors_in_asymptomatic_bacteriuria.7.aspx