In: Biology
2. Various enteric bacteria, especially E. coli, are the cause of most urinary tract infections in humans. A quick test for the presence of these bacteria in urine is to detect nitrite in the urine. Why?
UTI or urinary tract infection is the infection in the urinary tract causes by the several bacteria's especially e-coli makes the medium of the tract acidic which show signs of infection and burning sensation.
In these cases quick test for presence of nitrite is tested in urine in which nitrate reductase a enzyme which is produced by many bacterial species including ecoli is found which is normally not found in urine in absence of UTI in which specificity is about 95%.
Rather this is the nitrite test is found positive it is also considered as UTI infection because nitrite is known to be marker for infection.
After the confirmation of nitrite making acidic urine the growth of ecoli is tested in the urine to confirm the pathogen causing infection.
It is also found the nitric oxide is released from the nitrite containing urine when mild acidified.
Nitric oxide is the bacteriostatic gas released so when the acidified urine is mixed with nitrite then also nitric oxide is released so it is found that ecoli makes its own death in the urine acidified medium when nitrite is found and growth of bacteria is found to be reduced.
Due to that ezyme nitrate reductase there presences is confirmed.