Chemical tests use reagent strips, also called dipsticks, to identify the presence and concentration of the labeled substances. Reagent strip testing can be performed manually by dipping the strip into urine and comparing the color changes on the strip to the appropriate color chart.
What is a urine reagent strip?
A urine reagent strip (dipstick) is a firm plastic strip to which pads saturated with chemicals are affixed. The chemicals in the pads indicate the presence of specific substances in the urine. The strips may also indicate the pH and specific gravity of the urine, depending on the type of strip that is used.
What do the chemicals in the pads of a urine test indicate?
The chemicals in the pads indicate the presence of specific substances in the urine. The strips may also indicate the pH and specific gravity of the urine, depending on the type of strip that is used. Urine reagent strips are available for the detection of glucose, bilirubin, ketones, blood, protein, urobilinogen, nitrite, and leukocytes.
What determines the results of a urinalysis test strip?
The results of a urinalysis test strip are based upon the color change of the chemical pads after they have reacted with the urine. These chemical reaction produce color changes in the reagent pads.
Why are urine dipsticks used for urine test?
These urine dipsticks are useful because they are cheap, fast and effective. Urinalysis test strips are pieces of plastic or waterproofed paper that have a number of absorbent pads soaked with different chemical reagents. When a urinalysis test strip is dipped into a urine sample the chemically impregnated pads react with the urine.
Which test is the most frequently performed in routine urine analysis?
When was urine analysis first used?
What does a finger stick positive for high blood glucose mean?
How to diagnose diabetes mellitus?
What does the color of the mixture indicate?
Why is ethanol important for alcohol detection?
How much nitrite is in a Merck nitrite test?
See 4 more
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How do you test urine with a reagent strip?
Immerse the reagent area of the strip in the urine specimen and take it up quickly and immediately 3. Run the edge of the strip against the rim of the container to remove the excess urine 4. Hold the strip up horizontally and compare the result on the strip with the colour chart on the bottle label closely.
What are reagent test strips used for?
Diagnostic reagent strips are commonly used in clinical analysis of urine and blood, in particular for monitoring glucose concentration. Results are obtained instrumentally or visually as thresholds and quantitative outputs. Dry reagents are applied in the construction of strips in a variety of ways.
How do you perform a chemical urine test?
To examine chemical aspects of a urine sample, healthcare providers or lab technicians often use special test strips called dipsticks to test for certain chemical substances in the urine sample. The strips have pads of chemicals that change color when they come in contact with specific substances.
What is the principle of the reagent strip test for urinary protein?
The reagent strip protein method is based on the principle of "protein-error-of-indicators." It produces a visible colorimetric reaction that is capable of detecting most instances of proteinuria. Falsely elevated results can occur if the urine sample is visibly bloody.
What is a reagent strip quizlet?
Reagent Strips overall description. Simple, cost, effective & rapid way analyze medically significant chemical analysis. consist of chemically-impregnated pads attached to a plastic strip. Urine contacts the pad, a color producing reaction takes place. Color is compared to a chart, a semi-quantitative result is ...
What is the advantage of using reagent strip over litmus paper for testing urine pH?
pH strips are considered to be more sensitive than Litmus paper because Litmus paper cannot give quantitative results.
When should the chemical examination of urine be performed?
For majority of urine examinations the first early morning urine is the most suitable. It is recommended the urine collection is preceded by at least eight hours of lying position. The early morning urine is more concentrated and acidic compared to the later samples, and suitable especially for chemical examination.
Why is it that the reagent strip is more specific in detecting urine glucose compared to copper reduction methods?
Why? Only glucose will be detected, because the reagent strip uses glucose oxidase. Other sugars must be detected by a test for reducing substances (Benedict's copper reduction method) which will pick up such sugars as fructose.
What is the advantage of using reagent strip over litmus paper for testing urine pH?
pH strips are considered to be more sensitive than Litmus paper because Litmus paper cannot give quantitative results.
What are the 4 parameters test of reagent strip?
The Rapid ResponseTM 4 Parameter Urinalysis Reagent Strip is a fast, qualitative and semi-quantitative, dip-and-read test for the detection of Glucose, Blood, Protein and Leukocytes in urine, to aid in the general evaluation of health and in the diagnosis and monitoring of metabolic or systemic diseases.
What is the principle of the reagent strip test for pH?
It is based on the Griess' test principle. In an acidic medium, Nitrite in the urine reacts with p-arsanilic acid to form a diazonium compound. The diazonium compound in turn couples with 1 N-(1-naphthyl)- ethylenediamine to produce a pink color.
What is the purpose of peroxide on the reagent strip pad for blood?
Myoglobin is present. What is the purpose of peroxide on a reagent strip pad for blood? To detect hemoglobin peroxidase.
Reagent Strip Procedure: Manual or Semi-Automated Methods
Using a fresh, well-mixed uncentrifuged urine, hold the reagent strip by the opposite end from the test areas and dip the stick into the specimen so that all test areas are immersed in the specimen. Remove the stick immediately. Prolonged immersion in the sample may wash out the test reagents. Hold the strip in a horizontal position and run the edge of the strip against the rim of the urine ...
Advantages and Limitations of the Reagent Strip Method for Specific ...
The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Chemical Screening of Urine by Reagent Strip (retired March 2012).Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.
THE URINALYSIS REAGENT STRIPS - The Incredible Medical School
The reagent test strips are important urine screening tests, but there are false negative and false positives as well as many other factors that affect the results.
Reagent test strip for blood glucose determination - Lifescan, Inc.
I claim: 1. A reagent test strip having a matrix near one end for use in an apparatus for determining a concentration of glucose in a sample of whole blood, the apparatus comprising optical means for detecting intensity of light at wavelengths of about 635 nm and about 700 nm reflected from at least a portion of the matrix, which matrix comprises
What are the chemical tests used in urinalysis?
Proper specimen handling and technique are discussed for key tests, including pH, specific gravity, protein, glucose, ketones, bilirubin, blood, nitrites, urobilinogen, and leukocyte esterase. See all available courses.
Who is the intended audience for a urine dipstick test?
Intended audience: Medical laboratory science and medical laboratory technician students, clinical laboratory personnel, and other medical personnel who perform urine dipstick testing at the point-of-care.
Can you use dipsticks for urine strips?
Urine chemical reagent strips readers can utilize any manufacturers dipsticks.
Which test is the most frequently performed in routine urine analysis?
Next to glucose tests, protein tests are the most frequently performed tests in routine urine analysis.
When was urine analysis first used?
The first rapid tests in urine analysis were carried out in the 1940s by adding tablets to urine samples. The test for sugar was refined in the Clinitest ® reagent tablets (Ames Co., Elkhart, IN). They are an ingenious adaptation of the alkaline copper reduction test in self-heating tablet form. Each tablet contains copper sulfate, sodium carbonate, and citric acid. Sodium carbonate and citric acid form an effervescent couple, which facilitates the rapid dissolution of the tablet and generates a little heat. Much more heat is liberated by the dissolution of sodium hydroxide and its partial neutralization by citric acid. In the alkaline medium, the sugar reduces the blue copper (II) sulfate solution to reddish insoluble copper (I) oxide. The carbon dioxide displaces the air above the reaction and prevents reoxidation of the copper (I) oxide during the test. The color of the mixture indicates the proportion of sugar in urine.
What does a finger stick positive for high blood glucose mean?
DIAGNOSIS. The history and examination usually make the diagnosis obvious. A finger stick positive for high blood glucose or a strongly positive urine dipstick for glucose, together with a positive keto-diastix, strongly suggests the diagnosis of DKA. Confirmation is usually made with arterial blood gases and a low arterial pH.
How to diagnose diabetes mellitus?
The blood glucose concentration can be measured in the veterinary hospital using a cage-side portable blood glucose monitoring device (PBGM) on venous or capillary blood. A urine sample (free catch voided sample or via cystocentesis) should be obtained to check for the presence of glucosuria. Urine reagent test strips (e.g., KetoDiastix; Ames Division, Miles Laboratories, Inc, Elkhart, Ind.) can also be used cage-side in the veterinary hospital allowing for rapid confirmation of diabetes mellitus in addition to evaluating for the presence or absence of ketonuria.
What does the color of the mixture indicate?
The color of the mixture indicates the proportion of sugar in urine. The Clinistix ® (Ames Co.) is an enzymatic glucose test based on the activity of the enzyme glucose oxidase that uses dry-reagent chemical technology.
Why is ethanol important for alcohol detection?
The synergistic action of ethanol with other drugs makes the detection of alcohol important and urgent.
How much nitrite is in a Merck nitrite test?
The nitrite test of the Merck Co. detects as little as 10 μg l −1 nitrite. It uses filter paper impregnated with an aqueous solution containing methanol, 1–2 g of a diazotizable amine, 0.1–0.5 g of a coupling component, and 2–8 g of solid organic acid per 100 ml. The paper is dried and cut into strips and is specific for nitrite independent of urinary pH. The test reveals significant bacteriuria when the bacterial count reaches 1×10 7 ml −1 of urine.
What are the reagent strips?
The reagent strip itself is a slim band of paper saturated with various chemical indicators for different substances at various points on the strip . Screening tests on a strip would include pH, specific gravity, protein, glucose, ketones, bilirubin, blood, nitrites, urobilinogen, leukocytes, urobilinogen, blood and ascorbic acid. Patients can also be given test strips for diabetic self-monitoring.
Why do labs use urine strips?
Clinical labs use urine strips for general screening in routine examination, studies of the distribution and causes of disease frequency in human populations and to control health problems, early identification of pathologic issues, and monitoring of treatment. Currently, labs perform urine analysis using reagent test strips. The best option for labs of all sizes is to rely on an established clinical laboratory equipment supplier for their reagent strip requirements.
How to get a urine sample?
Getting your sample. You need to pee or urinate straight into a sterile pot or container. Make sure you don't pee into something else and then transfer it to the container, as then it won't be sterile any more. The best sample is one which is called a midstream specimen of urine (MSU). This means that you start to pee, then pass the open container into the stream of urine, and then take it away again when you have caught enough urine. You don't stop peeing while doing this. Tightly put the lid on the pot then wash your hands and the container. It is also best performed on a full bladder first thing in the morning.
What is a urine dipstick?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT URINE DIPSTICK. A urine reagent strip or dipstick is a firm plastic strip to which pads saturated with chemicals are affixed. The chemicals in the pads indicate the presence of specific substances in the urine. The strips may also indicate the pH and specific gravity of the urine, depending on the type ...
What is the difference between a leukocyte esterase and a nitrite test?
Leukocyte esterase and Nitrite are both indicators for the presence of infection. Leukocyte esterase test looks for a reaction that only happens if there are lots of white cells in the urine because white cells get into the urine when there is an infection. Nitrite is not normally found in the urine but will appear there if there are lots of germs or bacteria in the urine.
What does a dipstick test show?
The first thing that your doctor will do is look at your urine. Normal urine varies in color, from colorless to dark yellow. Various things can affect the way your urine looks, from how much you've been drinking to what you've eaten recently. The smell can also vary widely and is not a good gauge of illness. Thus, a urine dipstick test can be done for lots of different reasons, such as: detection of glucose, bilirubin, ketones, blood, protein, urobilinogen, nitrite, and leukocytes.
What does it mean when you have bilirubin in your urine?
But if bilirubin is found in the urine it usually indicates a liver problem. While small amounts of urobilinogen is normal, large amounts may also suggest a liver problem or problem with the red blood cells being destroyed too quickly.
How long does it take to get a urine dipstick test?
Since it involves dipping a specially treated paper strip into a sample of your urine, your sample doesn't need to be sent to a laboratory for a urine dipstick test because this can be done easily with the results usually available within 1-2 minutes.
Why is blood not found in urine?
Blood is not normally found in urine and may be an indication of infection. This can also be due to significant underlying disease such as cancer in the bladder or kidney and prostate gland in men. In women, it may only be contamination if you are on your period at the time of doing the sample.
What enzyme catalyzes the formation of gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide?
Glucose : The test is based on a double sequential enzyme reaction One enzyme, glucose oxidase, catalyzes the formation of gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide with O-Toulident chromogen to oxidze the chromogen to color s ramging from yellow to dark green.
Can you remove reagent strips from a bottle?
All unused strips must remain in the original bottle. Transfer to another container may cause reagents strips to deteriorate and become unreactive.Do not remove strips from the bottle until immediately before it is used for testing. Replace cap immediately and tightly after removing reagents strips.
How to mix urine prior to testing?
Swirl or shake the container light ly to mix the urine prior to testing.
How to use a subject's urine to determine their health?
To use a subject’s urine to determine their health, it’s first necessary to collect a fresh sample. Afterwards, you can mark any changes on the strip and interpret your findings to make a diagnosis. Steps.
What is a dipstick test?
A urine dipstick test is a type of fluid analysis used by medical professionals to screen for various diseases and health complications. When the test strip is saturated with urine, it changes color to indicate the presence of compounds like proteins, ketones, hemoglobin, and nitrites, as well as harmful pathogens.
How to ensure accurate urine reading?
To ensure an accurate reading, it’s essential to keep the urine from coming into contact with contaminants from the environment. For a home test, you can also position the strip directly under the stream, the way you would with a traditional pregnancy test.
What does urine look like?
The way a sample looks will provide the first clues about what’s going on inside the body. Healthy urine should be clear or faintly yellow. If the urine you’re testing is a dark or unusual color, is especially cloudy, or has an abnormal odor, you may not need a full urinalysis to tell you that something is off.
What do you look for in urine?
You’ll always want to take a look at the pH, specific gravity (“SG”), and glucose levels (“GLU”) of a urine sample, regardless of what you’re screening for.
Why is my urine greenish?
Similarly, greenish-blue urine can be caused by a UTI or a reaction to prescription medication.
How long does it take to take a urine test?
Don’t centrifuge the urine. Mix the sample well before taking the test. The urine test must be taken within an hour. All specimens must always be taken and kept under sanitary conditions.
What is the specific gravity of urine?
The reagent strip for Specific Gravity allows the urine specimens specific gravity between 1.000 and 1.030. In general, the mean error between the results of the strip test and those from the refractive index method is only 0.005. To make it more accurate, 0.005 may be added to readings from urine’s with pH equal or greater than 6.5. Urine reading instruments can automatically make these adjustments in strip-readings. The urine non-ionic constituents such as glucose or radiopaque dye won’t make any changes in the test. Highly buffered alkaline urine’s may cause the low readings compared with the other methods. Elevated specific gravity readings may occur in the presence of moderate quantities of protein (1.75g/L).
What is the test for glucose?
The test is specific for glucose. No substance in urine other than glucose is known to show a positive result. 2.2mmol/L glucose in dilute urine containing 0.28mmol/L ascorbic acid and may produce a colour change that might be interpreted as positive. Ascorbic acid concentrations of 0.28mmol/L and/or acetoacetic acid concentrations (1.1mmol/L) or lower may not influence the test. Normally, a small amount of glucose may be excreted through the kidney. The amount is usually below the sensitivity of the reagent test.
Does reagent strip react with acetoacetic acid?
The reagent strip reacts with acetoacetic acid in urine. It doesn’t do with acetone or ß-hydro butyric acid. Normal urine specimens usually conduct negative results in the test. False positive results may occur in highly pigmented urine or those containing a large amount of levodopa metabolites.
Can bilirubin be detected in urine?
Normally, even the most sensitive method can’t detect bilirubin in urine. It is abnormal to have little bilirubin in urine, which requires further inspection. Medicines that dye urine red and anything that shows red itself in an acid medium, e.g. phenazopyridine may affect the test result. High concentration of the ascorbic acid may cause a false negative result.
Can a negative urine test show protein?
The reagent area is more sensitive to albumin than to globulins, haemoglobin, Bence Jones protein and mucoprotien. So a ‘Negative Result’ is not good enough to indicate that these proteins don’t exist in urine. Normally no protein is detectable in urine with conventional methods, although a minute amount of protein is excreted through a normal kidney. It shows the protein in urine when the colour is darker than the mark on the chart. False positive results may be obtained in highly buffered alkaline urines. Urine specimens contaminated with quaternary ammonium compounds and cleansers containing chlorhexidine may also produce false positive results.
Which test is the most frequently performed in routine urine analysis?
Next to glucose tests, protein tests are the most frequently performed tests in routine urine analysis.
When was urine analysis first used?
The first rapid tests in urine analysis were carried out in the 1940s by adding tablets to urine samples. The test for sugar was refined in the Clinitest ® reagent tablets (Ames Co., Elkhart, IN). They are an ingenious adaptation of the alkaline copper reduction test in self-heating tablet form. Each tablet contains copper sulfate, sodium carbonate, and citric acid. Sodium carbonate and citric acid form an effervescent couple, which facilitates the rapid dissolution of the tablet and generates a little heat. Much more heat is liberated by the dissolution of sodium hydroxide and its partial neutralization by citric acid. In the alkaline medium, the sugar reduces the blue copper (II) sulfate solution to reddish insoluble copper (I) oxide. The carbon dioxide displaces the air above the reaction and prevents reoxidation of the copper (I) oxide during the test. The color of the mixture indicates the proportion of sugar in urine.
What does a finger stick positive for high blood glucose mean?
DIAGNOSIS. The history and examination usually make the diagnosis obvious. A finger stick positive for high blood glucose or a strongly positive urine dipstick for glucose, together with a positive keto-diastix, strongly suggests the diagnosis of DKA. Confirmation is usually made with arterial blood gases and a low arterial pH.
How to diagnose diabetes mellitus?
The blood glucose concentration can be measured in the veterinary hospital using a cage-side portable blood glucose monitoring device (PBGM) on venous or capillary blood. A urine sample (free catch voided sample or via cystocentesis) should be obtained to check for the presence of glucosuria. Urine reagent test strips (e.g., KetoDiastix; Ames Division, Miles Laboratories, Inc, Elkhart, Ind.) can also be used cage-side in the veterinary hospital allowing for rapid confirmation of diabetes mellitus in addition to evaluating for the presence or absence of ketonuria.
What does the color of the mixture indicate?
The color of the mixture indicates the proportion of sugar in urine. The Clinistix ® (Ames Co.) is an enzymatic glucose test based on the activity of the enzyme glucose oxidase that uses dry-reagent chemical technology.
Why is ethanol important for alcohol detection?
The synergistic action of ethanol with other drugs makes the detection of alcohol important and urgent.
How much nitrite is in a Merck nitrite test?
The nitrite test of the Merck Co. detects as little as 10 μg l −1 nitrite. It uses filter paper impregnated with an aqueous solution containing methanol, 1–2 g of a diazotizable amine, 0.1–0.5 g of a coupling component, and 2–8 g of solid organic acid per 100 ml. The paper is dried and cut into strips and is specific for nitrite independent of urinary pH. The test reveals significant bacteriuria when the bacterial count reaches 1×10 7 ml −1 of urine.