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Asymptomatic Bacteriuria (ASB)
Positive urine culture in a patient (catheterized or not) without symptoms or signs attributable to the urinary tract - i.e. dysuria or other irritative symptoms, suprapubic or CVA tenderness, or SIRS/sepsis without another source
ASB should NOT be treated except for in pregnancy and prior to urinary tract instrumentation (i.e. TURP)
The presence of nitrites or pyuria in the urinalysis does not definitively indicate infection due to inadequate specificity, especially in a catheterized patient
Catheterized patients develop bacteriuria at a rate of ~5% per day, and virtually all by one month.
Urine cultures should therefore NOT be sent on catheterized patients - unless indicated based on signs/symptoms of infection
ASB is more common in females than males, and increases with age
