Sepsis frequently originates from urinary infections in older adults, yet diagnosis is often flawed. Routine dipsticks can miss true infection and overcall colonization. This article explains the limitations of traditional testing and introduces a more accurate strategy: urinalysis with culture, followed by PCR when needed. Early recognition and improved diagnostics can significantly alter outcomes.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are traditionally diagnosed using urinalysis followed by culture and sensitivity testing. While effective in most cases, these methods may miss fastidious or slow-growing organisms, fail to identify mixed infections, or return negative results despite continued patient symptoms. Urine polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing provides a highly sensitive molecular alternative that detects microbial DNA directly, identifies antibiotic-resistance ge