Lucy Yuan¹, Kevin Slater², Mark Dunning^3,1

¹Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, Solihull, United Kingdom. ²Praecis Dx Ltd, Leeds, United Kingdom. ³School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, United Kingdom

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine whether LAMP technology could be used for simple, rapid and sensitive detection of the most common bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in dogs

Methods

Forty-two urine samples from dogs were included in this prospective study. LAMP was run alongside standard culture and sensitivity at the lab between July 2022 and September 2022. The following bacteria were included in LAMP: E. Coli, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas.

Results

Using culture as the gold standard, we found the sensitivity of the LAMP technique overall was 75.00% and specificity was 90.51% with sensitivity of LAMP being affected by the low prevalence of positive cultures for certain bacteria (Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas).

Statement: Impact/ Clinical Significance

Bacterial urine culture is recommended in dogs suspected of having a UTI to ensure appropriate antibiotic usage, however it can be expensive and the inherent delay in obtaining culture results increases empiric use of antibiotics. In humans, LAMP assays have been used as a complementary tool to culture by reducing the time to diagnosis and allows rational antibiotic prescribing for treating UTIs. It is also a powerful diagnostic tool in resource-limited countries where culture is not readily available.

LAMP has reasonable accuracy compared to culture and could complement in-house microscopy and clinical signs to guide antibiotic use and selection in cases of suspected urinary tract infections. The high sensitivity can reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics in cases of lower urinary tract disease.