Working on the urine bench always brings to the front of my mind the lack of understanding that some clinical staff have of the basics of microbiology and the commonly used abbreviations – Note that I said some and not all.

We frequently see request forms with statements such as “MSU Bag urine” – which one is it? A MSU or a Paediatric Bag collect? or “MSU” but with clinical details that the patient has a “permanent SPC” – again is it an MSU or a Catheter specimen? or most commonly “MSU” written under tests required which in my opinion is being mixed up with the abbreviation MC&S (short for microscopy, culture and sensitivities). MSU is not a test but a specimen type. It is an abbreviation of Midstream Urine as opposed to other urine types such as CSU or Catheter spec urine, EMU or early morning urine, Aspirated urine or just a random collect or clean catch collect.

This may seem to be a bit pedantic but the type of specimen we receive in the laboratory has a bearing on what and how we report out to the clinician and whether or not we deem it relevant to report sensitivities. For example, a true MSU should have less chance of having cellular and/or bacterial contamination as opposed to a clean catch urine which often has larger numbers of epithelial cells present and often vaginal contamination if collected from female patients. Also, growth from a catheter specimen is less likely to get sensitivities reported due to the fact that the presence of bacteria and/or cells is often reflective of colonisation rather than infection and changing the catheter, if in situ for a longer term, will often be more effective than antibiotic treatment. Again this is where it is important for the laboratory to be given relevant clinical details so we know if the patient is showing signs of systemic involvement in which case antibiotics will be reported, or if the catheter is merely an in/out catheter for collection purposes as opposed to a long-term solution for a tetraplegic.

It is also important that the correct urine type be collected for the right purpose. If a clinician is wanting testing for TB then an MSU is not going to be sufficient and will be rejected by the laboratory. They will need to ensure a full early morning collect is sent through to the lab so that it can be further concentrated to optimise the chances of isolating any Mycobacteria present. Likewise, random urine collects, although adequate for screening purposes is not the preferred specimen for accurate biochemical dipstick testing or bacterial isolation due to the fact that the potential exists for dilution if the patient has recently consumed fluids.

All this information assists us as laboratory workers to perform our job to the best of our ability and to put out results that are relevant to patient treatment so it is important for clinical staff to understand the differences and to ask themselves what they are wanting to achieve from their request from the laboratory and then together we can maximise the outcomes for patients.