[Positive urine pneumococcal antigen test and vaccination]

Abstract

Introduction and objective: Although urine pneumococcal antigen is an useful test, it has false positives such as pneumococcal vaccination.

Material and methods: Positive urine pneumococcal antigen in Hospital de Denia (January-February/2015). We studied epidemiological, radiological and microbiological variables as well as previous pneumococcal vaccination (neumo-23 and/or neumo-13).

Results: Urine pneumococcal antigen test was positive in 12.4% of 385 cases. Only 33.3% of positive cases had pneumonia in chest X-ray, and 35.4% of patients had previous pneumococcal vaccination. In most cases (87.5%), an antibiotic was prescribed.

Conclusions: Pneumococcal vaccination can produce a false positive result in the urine pneumococcal antigen test in clinical practice, leading to an unnecessary prescription of antibiotics.

Keywords: False positive; Falso positivo; Neumococo; Pneumococcus; Vaccination; Vacunación.