PREVALENCE OF URINARY-TRACT INFECTION DURING OUTPATIENT FOLLOW-UP AFTER RENAL-TRANSPLANTATION

Seven hundred and twenty-seven renal transplant patients are reviewed with respect to the occurrence of urinary tract infection (UTI) after renal transplantation. UTI was defined as the detection of both bacter iuria (10(5) CPU/ml) and pyuria (10 leukocytes/hpf). un developed in 1 1 of the inpatients (20.8%) and in 30 (4.2%) of the outpatients during a one-year period. Among outpatients, 12 had symptomatic infections, comprising seven with acute pyelonephritis and five with acute cystiti s. Asymptomatic UTI was detected in 18 patients. In addition, asymptom atic bacteriuria without pyuria was observed in ten (1.4%) patients. U TI was more common in patients with diabetes, and underlying urinary t ract complications were present in some patients. Administration of tr imethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for about 4 months is suggested to reduce the frequency of UTI in the early period after renal transplantation.