A New Gold Rush: A Review of Current and Developing Diagnostic Tools for Urinary Tract Infections

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Majid Mirzazadeh

Wake Forest School of Medicine, USA

: J Nephrol Ren Dis

Abstract

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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infections in the world and consequently are responsible for significant healthcare expenditure. The standard urine culture is the current gold standard for diagnosing urinary tract infections, however there are limitations of the test that directly contribute to suboptimal patients’ treatment and increased healthcare costs. As a result, new and innovative techniques have been developed to address the inefficiencies of the current standard. It remains to be seen whether these tests should be performed in adjunct to, or perhaps even replace the urine culture. This review aims to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the newer and emerging diagnostic techniques such as PCR, expanded quantitative urine culture (EQUC), and next generation sequencing (NGS).

Biography

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Dr. Mirzazadeh has completed his MD and urology residency in Iran University of Medical Sciences. He has had fellowship trainings in Institute of Urology & Nephrology, University College London, UK, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA and Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, USA. He is associate professor of urology and gynecology and director of Urology Teaching Clinic in Wake Forest School of Medicine. He has more than 50 publications.