Only the doctor can tell for sure whether such infection is present in your child.
To determine this, an urine sample of your child will be used for tests. This sample is taken in case of very small children through a plastic collection bag or, in case of older children - by means of a container. Sometimes, a small tube introduced inside the urethra to grant a more sterile mean to collect urine, and, other times, the most appropriate is a needle that is introduced into the bladder to ensure the purity of urine.
During the microscopic exam, bacteria or pus will be certainly identified in urine, or, in case they are difficult to see a liquid that helps multiplication of any kind of germs will make hem grow, enabling the doctor to determine the specie.
The sample should be cultivated immediately after its collection, or refrigerated, to prevent the apparition of inaccuracies.
What is the normal function of the urinary tract?
The kidneys represent a filter for the water and the wastes from the blood and they eliminate in an adult 1, 5 to 2 quarts of urine every day. Then, the urine is sent through the urethras and collected by the bladder. In children, the bladder can keep 1, 5 ounces of urine every year. When the urine exists in the bladder, it enters the urethra, which opens in front of the vagina in girls and in the end of the penis in boys.
Bacteria is normally absent from the urine. Their presence indicates and produces urinary tract infections. They enter the urinary tract through the urethra, inflaming and inflecting the bladder and producing cystitis.
Sometimes, the infections get to the kidneys, producing fever and pain, and are much more severe than these that only touch the bladder.
There are children more predisposed to such infections because of abnormalities of the urinary tract. A series of tests may provide information and solutions.
By: Rodney Kadel -