Table 1.

2012 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network Surveillance Definition of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in Adults

	Symptomatic CAUTI with High Colony Count	Symptomatic CAUTI with Intermediate Colony Count	Asymptomatic Bacteremic CAUTI
Indwelling urinary cathetera in place or removed within 48 hours of the time of specimen collection
Signs and	Fever (>38ºC) with no other	Fever (>38ºC) with no other	Patient must have NO signs or symptoms
Symptomsb	recognized cause, suprapubic tenderness, urgency, frequency, dysuria, or CVA pain	recognized cause, suprapubic tenderness, urgency, frequency, dysuria, or CVA pain	(EXCEPTION: if age ≥65 years, fever does not disqualify)
Urine culture
Colony count	≥105 CFU/ml	≥103 and <105 CFU/ml	≥105 CFU/ml
No. species	≤2	≤2	≤2
Urinalysis	Not required	+ leukocyte esterase or nitrite, pyuriac or + gram stain	Not required
Blood culture	Not required	Not required	Positive blood culture with ≥1 uropathogend matching urine culture

Abbreviations: CFU, colony-forming units; CVA, costovertebral angle

^aAn indwelling urinary catheter is defined as a drainage tube that is inserted into the urinary bladder through the urethra and is left in place while connected to a drainage bag.

^bAt least one sign or symptom must be present with no other recognized cause. The following symptoms are taken into account only after the catheter has been removed: urgency, frequency, dysuria.

^cPyuria: urine specimen with ≥10 WBC/mm³ or ≥3 WBC/high power field of unspun urine

^dAllowable uropathogens per NHSN definition: Gram-negative bacilli, Staphylococcus spp., Yeast, Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., G. vaginalis, Aerococcusurinae, Corynebacterium (urease-positive)