urine crystals

find in urine sediment?

• crystals

• sperm

• casts

• bacteria

• white blood cells

• red blood cells

• dirt

• yeast

normal red blood cells on sediment slide

<5RBCs/ field

normal white blood cells in sediment

<5WBCs / field

pyuria - inflammation, infection, trauma, neoplasia. More then 5.

presence can be contamination of the sample.

normally seen with bacteria

epithelial cells in urine sediment

• transitional epithelial cells - lines the urethra and bladder -common grainy cytoplasm, central nucleus

• squamous epithelial cells - free-catch/ expressed - off skin

• neoplastic epithelial cells - transitional cell carcinoma

• neoplastic squamous cells- squamous cell carcinoma - look weird as dividing quick.

NEOPLASTIC = INDICATES CANCER

Casts in sediment

mucoproteins

• hyaline - parallel sides, rounded ends, few is normal.

• epithelial - entrapment of sloughed cells.

• granular - degenerated epithelial cellular casts, few is normal.

• waxy - degeneration of granular.

• RBC and WBC casts - always abnormal

• fatty - diabetes mellitus

Lots of casts =

renal damage

• can be a sign a toxin has damaged the tubular cells in kidney badly and that they have fallen off and formed casts.

If bacteria in a cysto sample

infection

Bacteria in a free-catch sample

contamination?

common bacteria in urine

rods and cocci

confirm with gram stain or aerobic culture

Yeasts

• contamination usually

• round/ oval

• colourless

• infection - cysto

• seen if log term antibiotics and immunosuppression

poor immune system

fungal hyphae

commonly due to contaminants overgrowth

• very rare

parasitic ova

• contaminant from rectum

• capillaria plica - in UTI system - rare signs - confirm with cysto

lipids

common

• white ring around

• common in cats

sperm

males/ recently bred females

• move on slide

plant material

debris in voided samples

Struvite

• very common

• dogs, cats and ruminants

• low levels are normal in SA

• ALKALINE

• long rectangular crystals

• caused by bacterial infections

• can form in storage

calcium oxalate

• less common

• dogs and horses (common in healthy horses)

• ACIDIC

• forms when animals have inadequate fluid intake

• effected by cold

• affected by time - can develop over time.

• increased risk of uroliths

  

calcium carbonate

• common in horses

• ALKALINE

• caused by prolongued urine retention and calcium in diet.

• develop into uroliths

  

ammonium urate

• common in canine and feline

• normal in dalmatians

• common in birds and reptiles

• Liver disease

• ACIDIC

• Affected by hot temperatures

• not effected by a delay

• caused by increase in pH, liver disease, high protein in diet.

• patients with porlo-systemic shunt.

uric acid

• common in dalmations - can’t convert uric acid to allatoin

• congential liver shunts

• ACIDIC

• abnormal

• high temp = crystallisation, low temp= minerals suspended

• don’t develop over time

cystine

ACIDIC

• dogs, rarely cats

• patients with renal dysfunction

• not normal

• managed through diet

• proximal tubular defect in amino acid resorption

bilirubin

• normal in dogs

• bilirubinuria

• never in cats

• liver disease, haemolytic anaemia breaking down the RBC’s or bile duct blockage

• not effected by temp or time

• ACIDIC

struvite uroliths

• associated with infection in dogs

• more in male cats

calcium oxalate uroliths

monohydrate more common in Male and obese in dogs

dihydrate in male and obese in cats

urate crystals

uncommon, dogs treated with allopurinol

more male

cystine uroliths

male, young/ middle ages terriers

equine uroliths

• calcium carbonate

• crumble easily

• increased risk - prolonged urine retention, increased calcium. uric acid

• reduced risk - lower calcium in diet