Currently, antibiotics are often prescribed to children without reason due to the inability to quickly establish the presence of a bacterial etiology of the disease. One way to obtain additional diagnostic information quickly is to study the volatile metabolome of biosamples using arrays of sensors. The goal of this work was to assess the possibility of using an array of chemical sensors with various sensitive coatings to determine the presence of a bacterial infection in children by analyzing the equilibrium gas phase (EGP) of urine samples. The EGP of 90 urine samples from children with and without a bacterial infection (urinary tract infection, soft tissue infection) was studied on the “MAG-8” device with seven piezoelectric sensors in a hospital. General urine analysis with sediment microscopy was performed using a Uriscan Pro analyzer and using an Olympus CX31 microscope. After surgical removal of the source of inflammation, the microbiological studies of the biomaterial were performed to determine the presence and type of the pathogen. The most informative output data of an array of sensors have been established for diagnosing bacterial pathology. Regression models were built to predict the presence of a bacterial infection in children with an error of no more than 15%. An indicator of infection is proposed to predict the presence of a bacterial infection in children with a high sensitivity of 96%.

A rapid procedure for obtaining information on changes in particular characteristics of urine as the most frequently taken biosample is presented. The relationship between the output data of an array of piezoelectric sensors based on different micro- and nanostructured phases and the standard characteristics of clinical urine analysis is discussed. Volatile organic compounds identified in an equilibrium headspace gas phase of the samples with deviations from normal characteristics of clinical urine analysis are considered. The tetrachoric correlation coefficients and associations between the parameters of a sensor array and standard characteristics were calculated. A minimum set of calculated parameters of an electronic nose for the rapid in-hospital monitoring of changes in the patient’s condition in the course of therapy or medical examination was recognized. A fast and economically affordable method was developed for the monitoring of body state characteristics using the profile of volatile urine compounds obtained with an electronic nose based on piezosensors. Two versions, a color scale and a table, were proposed for presenting the electronic nose data; they can be used even by specially untrained personnel for the rapid and easy assessment of the most important urine analysis data (protein, glucose, mucus, and bacteria). The method developed makes it possible to quickly (the time of a measurement is 120 s) perform the daily monitoring of patient’s condition to avoid an unnecessary burden on the laboratory and to increase the physician’s awareness of the dynamics of the patient’s condition and facilitate the choice of treatment tactics. This method can be used for clinical examinations in polyclinics and feldsher’s stations, and it will significantly shorten the time taken to obtain screening and diagnostic information on disruptions in the body, in particular, at the initial stages of diseases.

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1061934822370055

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