A validated method for non-invasive urine collection in sodium polyacrylate-based diapers for PCR detection of uropathogens

This dataset provides information from a study that validates a method for non-invasive urine collection utilizing sodium polyacrylate-based diapers, designed for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of uropathogens. The dataset includes samples from 17 participants, comprising seven clinically contrived samples inoculated with known uropathogens and ten samples collected from volunteers wearing sodium polyacrylate-based diapers. The study involved optimizing urine extraction from the diaper matrices, ensuring minimal loss of diagnostic sensitivity for downstream quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. The qPCR targeted 22 uropathogens, six fungal species, and 18 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, providing comprehensive molecular characterization of urinary pathogens. Comparative analyses were performed between diaper-derived and standard urine samples, with data demonstrating high concordance in detection outcomes, despite a modest average reduction in qPCR sensitivity (ΔCt of -1.65). Matrix effects were evaluated to determine the impact of the diaper material on qPCR amplification efficiency. The dataset is valuable for further research into non-invasive diagnostic techniques for urinary tract infections (UTIs), particularly for populations unable to provide midstream urine samples, such as infants and elderly individuals. Potential reuse of this dataset includes evaluating non-invasive urine collection efficacy, exploring the interaction between sample matrices and molecular diagnostics, and assessing the scalability of diaper-based sampling methods in diverse clinical settings.