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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your doctor suspects you have a urinary tract infection, he or she may ask you to turn in a urine sample to determine if pus, red blood cells or bacteria are present in your urine. To avoid potential contamination of the sample, you may be instructed to cleanse your genital area with an antiseptic pad and to collect the urine midstream.
Laboratory analysis of the urine (urinalysis), sometimes followed by a urine culture, can reveal whether you have an infection. Although no simple test can differentiate between an upper and lower urinary tract infection, the presence of fever and flank pain indicate that the infection likely involves your kidneys.
