Urine cultures for kids

If, however, the parents are strongly opposed to catheterization or obtaining a catheter specimen is not feasible, a bag urine specimen can be used to guide further management. If the dipstick from the urine bag specimen gives negative results for both leukocytes and nitrites, the probability of urinary tract infection in this child would be < 5%.1 The child can be followed up without any additional testing. If the results are positive, a catheter specimen should be obtained for urinalysis and culture. My question is this: Is it useful to obtain a bag urine specimen rather than a catheter specimen if a culture is always necessary to avoid a false-negative result? Is [Shaikh] suggesting that a bag specimen should be sent for culture? This is highly relevant in my office, where we can readily obtain a bag urine specimen but have to refer a patient to the local hospital for a catheter specimen.