URINE ODOR

 Urine odor led to research and discovery of the metabolic disease _______________
 Normal urine has a characteristic aromatic odor
 If normal urine is allowed to stand at room temperature and age, it becomes particularly odorous and
ammoniacal because of the conversion of ______ to ammonia by bacteria
 Normally urine in the urinary tract is sterile. When it passes out of the body via the the urethra, it can easily
become ______________ with normal bacterial flora on the skin surface. In an improperly stored specimen,
these contaminating organism can proliferate.
 Urine odor may indicate that a specimen is old and is not suitable for testing because of the many changes that
occur in an unpreserved urine
 A patient with bacterial infection has an ammoniacal fresh urine sample
 Severe urinary tract infection can cause a strongly _________ or fetid aroma
 Conditions of increased fat metabolism with formation and excretion of aromatic ____________ produce a
sweet or fruity-smelling urine
 On occasion, a urine specimen can smell strongly of ________or other cleaning agents. Sometimes the agent
was added to the urine specimen intentionally to interfere with testing
CAUSES OF URINE ODORS
ODOR CAUSE
Aromatic, faintly
Ammoniacal
Pungent, fetid
Sweety, fruity Ketone production due to:

Unsual odor: Associated with amino acid disorder:

Mousy
Maple syrup
Rancid
Rotting/ old fish
Cabbage, hops
Sweaty feet
Distinctive Ingested substances: asparagus, garlic, onions
Menthol-like
Bleach Adulteration of the specimen or container
contamination
FOAM
 A normal urine specimen will produce a white foam at its surface that readily dissipates on standing
when in it is shaken
 The characteristics of urine foam, namely its color, ease of formation and the amount produced, are
modified by the presence of _________ and ___________
 Moderate to large amounts of protein in urine cause a stable white foam to be produced when the urine
is poured or agitated.
 When bilirubin is present in sufficient amounts, the foam if present will be characteristically yellow.
 Foam characteristics serve as a preliminary and supportive evidence for the presence of bilirubin and
abnormal amounts of protein
 These suspected substances must be detected and confirmed during the chemical examination before
either substance is reported