Urine specimens account for a significant proportion of routine workloads of clinical laboratories. Quantitative urine cultures are critical for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI). Organisms that usually cause UTI grow rapidly in urine and can double the number of CFU every 15 minutes. For this reason, urines must be either processed rapidly or refrigerated.

With centralization of microbiology services between multiple hospital sites, transport delay is a common occurrence and proper storage is not always assured. If there is a delay in transport, urine cultures with low counts at the time of collection mat result in clinically significant counts by the time the specimen is processed. Consequently, patients often receive unnecessary antibiotic therapy and are exposed to potential side effects. Development of resistance to antibiotics is also a consideration.

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