To the Editor.—I was, to say the least, quite surprised that the authors of the article entitled A Clinical Model for Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in Young Women1 have only recently "discovered" the fact that bacterial counts of less than 100 000 per milliliter obtained from midstream urine specimens may indicate a true urinary tract infection in women.
We, and others, have, starting in 1963, repeatedly and exhaustingly proven that, in view of the relatively high percentage of bacterial counts of less than 100 000 per milliliter obtained from the midstream urine specimens in women in the presence of urinary tract infection, 2-6 the criteria for a correct diagnosis of urinary tract infection vs bacterial contamination in midstream urine specimens carefully collected by a trained nurse with the patient in lithotomy position after adequate preparation is 1000 and not 100 000 colonies of a single species per