Learn About Asymptomatic Bacteriuria
Most of the time, your urine is sterile. This means there are no bacteria growing. On the other hand, if you have symptoms of a bladder or kidney infection, bacteria will often be present and growing in your urine.
Sometimes, your health care provider may check your urine for bacteria, even when you do not have any symptoms. If enough bacteria are found in your urine, you have asymptomatic bacteriuria.
Screening - asymptomatic bacteria
Asymptomatic bacteriuria occurs in a small number of healthy people. It affects women more often than men. The reasons for the lack of symptoms are not well understood.
You are more likely to have this problem if you:
- Have a urinary catheter in place
- Are female
- Are pregnant
- Are sexually active (in females)
- Have long-term diabetes and are female
- Are an older adult
- Have recently had a surgical procedure on your urinary tract
There are no symptoms of this problem.
If you have these symptoms, you may have a urinary tract infection, but you do not have asymptomatic bacteriuria.
- Burning during urination
- Increased urgency to urinate
- Increased frequency of urination
Most people who have bacteria growing in their urine, but no symptoms, do not need treatment. This is because the bacteria are not causing any harm. In fact, treating people with this problem may make it harder to treat infections in the future.
However, for some people getting a urinary tract infection is more likely or may cause more severe problems. As a result, treatment with antibiotics may be needed if:
- You are pregnant.
- You recently had a kidney transplant.
- You are scheduled for surgery involving the prostate gland or the bladder.
- You have kidney stones that have caused an infection.
- Your young child has reflux (backward movement of urine from the bladder into ureters or kidneys).
Without symptoms being present, even people who are older adults, have diabetes, or have a catheter in place do not need treatment.
Bjorn Wullt practices in Lund, Sweden. Wullt and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria. His top areas of expertise are Asymptomatic Bacteriuria, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Acute Cystitis, and Interstitial Nephritis.
H. Bellvitge
Francisco Lopez-Medrano practices in Barcelona, Spain. Lopez-Medrano and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria. His top areas of expertise are Asymptomatic Bacteriuria, Cytomegalovirus Infection, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Kidney Transplant, and Heart Transplant.
Kurt Naber practices in Munich, Germany. Naber and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria. His top areas of expertise are Asymptomatic Bacteriuria, Acute Cystitis, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Lithotripsy, and Prostatectomy.
If it is not treated, you may have a kidney infection if you are at high risk.
Contact your provider if you have:
- Difficulty emptying your bladder
- Fever
- Flank or back pain
- Pain with urination
You will need to be checked for a bladder or kidney infection.
Summary: This is a Phase 1b study to assess the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of investigational phage therapy (IP) in adults with SCI and bladder colonization (ASB). It is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in adults with SCI with neurogenic bladders and bacteriuria who use indwelling catheters, or who require intermittent catheterization for bladder drainage.
Summary: Intradetrusor injection of onabotulinumtoxinA, which is performed through a cystoscopic procedure, has been demonstrated to be efficacious in the treatment of both neurogenic and non-neurogenic overactive bladder (OAB), and is FDA approved as a treatment for overactive bladder. Intradetrusor of onabotulinumtoxinA is currently standard of care of patients with OAB who have persistent OAB symptoms d...
Published Date: July 23, 2024
Published By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Drekonia D. Approach to the patient with urinary tract infection. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 263.
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Zalmanovici Trestioreanu A, Lador A, Sauerbrun-Cutler M-T, Leibovici L. Antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;4:CD009534. PMID: 25851268 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25851268/.