Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Patients with Diabetes — Enemy or Innocent Visitor?

The application of quantitative bacteriology to urine cultures almost five decades ago led to prospective scientific investigations of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of urinary tract infections.1 Numerous studies have evaluated the frequency of asymptomatic and symptomatic bacteriuria in men and women with diabetes.2,3 The early studies showed no significant difference in the prevalence of bacteriuria between men with diabetes and men without diabetes. In contrast, the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria is two to three times as high among women with diabetes as among women without diabetes, and the frequency of symptomatic urinary tract infections is higher . . .