A new diagnostic test developed by scientists at the University of Reading could dramatically speed up treatment for urinary tract infections, delivering results in hours rather than the two to three days currently required. The method works by analyzing urine samples directly, bypassing the time-consuming step of growing bacteria in a lab culture.
In trials involving 352 patient samples, the rapid test matched standard laboratory methods 96.95% of the time across seven first-line antibiotics commonly used to treat UTIs. On average, it identified the right drug in about 5.85 hours. A second analysis of 90 duplicate samples showed that using a preservative during storage did not affect accuracy, with 98.75% agreement between preserved and unpreserved results.
The research, published March 31 in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, was conducted in collaboration with the University of Southampton and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, according to Science Daily. It was funded by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Research.
The speed matters for more than just patient comfort. "By the time the laboratory delivers the result under current methods, a patient may already have finished their antibiotics, or been given ones that do not work," said Dr. Oliver Hancox, CEO of Astratus Limited, the University of Reading spin-out company that plans to bring the test to market. Prescribing the wrong antibiotic doesn't just fail the patient — it fuels antimicrobial resistance, a growing global health threat.
The stakes are high. UTIs have resulted in more than 800,000 hospital admissions in England over the past five years alone, and roughly one in four urine samples tested in labs shows resistance to at least one common antibiotic. Faster, more accurate prescribing could reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and lower the risk of infections escalating into life-threatening sepsis.
Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR Scientific Director for Innovation, called the test "a fantastic example of the real-world solutions to antimicrobial resistance" and highlighted its alignment with broader government efforts to tackle the problem. If the test reaches clinical use, it could reshape how millions of UTI cases are managed each year.
