What does high nitrites in urine mean?
The presence of nitrites in urine most commonly means there’s a bacterial infection in your urinary tract. This is usually called a urinary tract infection (UTI). A UTI can happen anywhere in your urinary tract, including your bladder, ureters, kidneys, and urethra.
What does nitrite positive mean?
A positive result on the nitrite test is highly specific for UTI, typically because of urease-splitting organisms, such as Proteus species and, occasionally, E coli; however, it is very insensitive as a screening tool, as only 25% of patients with UTI have a positive nitrite test result.
What is the normal range of nitrite in urine?
Nitrites – Negative. Leukocyte esterase – Negative. Bilirubin – Negative. Urobilirubin – Small amount (0.5-1 mg/dL)
What bacteria cause nitrites in urine?
The presence of nitrite may indicate the presence of E. coli or K. pneumonia; these bacteria produce nitrate reductase, which converts nitrate to nitrite.
How long do nitrites stay in your system?
Nitrite in blood soon converts to nitrate with half-life about 110s, while nitrite in plasma is relatively stable with half-life about 20-30 mins [4, 25-28].
How do you get nitrites in urine?
Urinary tract infections are the most common cause of nitrites in urine. These occur when bacteria infect the bladder, ureters, or kidneys. A doctor can easily diagnose a urinary tract infection (UTI) by testing a urine sample.
Which bacteria do not cause nitrites in urine?
Gram-negative enteric organisms produce urinary nitrite and represent the most common uropathogens. Enterococcus, a less common uropathogen, does not produce nitrite and has a unique antibiotic resistance pattern.
Why are nitrites bad for you?
The preservative sodium nitrite fights harmful bacteria in ham, salami and other processed and cured meats and also lends them their pink coloration. However, under certain conditions in the human body, nitrite can damage cells and also morph into molecules that cause cancer.
What is worse nitrates or nitrites?
Nitrification is the oxidation of an ammonia compound into nitrite, especially by the action of the nitrifying bacteria called Nitrosomas. The nitrites will then be oxidized to nitrates by the bacteria Nitrobacter. Nitrate is less toxic than nitrite and is used as a food source by live plants.
What are they testing for in an urine analysis?
Acidity (pH). The pH level indicates the amount of acid in urine.
What does a positive nitrite urine test mean?
A nitrite test is a standard component of a urinary test strip. A positive test for nitrites in the urine is called nitrituria. This test is commonly used in diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs). A positive nitrite test indicates that the cause of the UTI is a gram negative organism, most commonly Escherichia coli .
What does it mean when nitrites are present in an urine sample?
If nitrites are found in urine, it is usually a sign of bacteria in your urinary tract which is causing a urinary tract infection ( UTI Urinary tract infection Infection of any part of the urinary system, including kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. ). The other symptoms of a UTI are a burning sensation when you pee and discolored or stinky urine. Nitrites in your urine could also mean that you have an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) . Inflammation in part or all of your digestive tract is called an inflammatory bowel disease.
What is complete urine analysis?
A complete urine culture test is a microbiological examination that is performed on a urine sample that can detect bacteria in your urine, which may be causing a urinary tract infection ( UTI ). Urine in the bladder is normally sterile and it does not contain any bacteria or other similar organisms, such as that of fungi.