Urinary tract infection (UTI) - Whole blood and components

Essential information

Includes
  • Cystitis (bladder infection)
  • Pyelonephritis
Obligatory

Must not donate if:

  1. Has active infection
  2. Less than 2 weeks from recovery or resolution of a urinary tract infection
  3. Less than 7 days from completing a course of systemic antibiotics, antifungal or antiviral treatment to treat a urinary tract infection
  4. Under or awaiting investigation or results
  5. On antibiotics or other treatment (e.g. urinary antiseptic therapy or course of vaccination to prevent urinary tract infection)
Discretionary
  1. If the donor has taken a single dose of an antibiotic after sexual intercourse to prevent urinary tract infection, is symptom-free on the day of donation, and does not have an underlying condition that prevents donation, accept.

  2. Once it is more than 12 months since:
    1. completion of a course of sublingual vaccine administration (e.g. Uromune®),
    2. stopping preventative antibiotic or antiseptic therapy,

      and the donor has not had a recurrence of urinary infection in that time, accept.

Supporting information

See if relevant
Additional information

Donors may be taking prophylactic antibiotics long-term or as single postcoital doses. Anatomical anomalies within the urinary tract can make individuals more prone to recurrent infections. If a donor is accepted in accordance with the Discretionary guidance above, the importance of informing the relevant blood service of symptoms suggestive of UTI occurring within 14 days of donation must be emphasised with the donor.

Donors on long-term antibiotics or urinary antiseptic therapy (e.g. methenamine hippurate) may have ongoing UTI without having any symptoms. As an active infection at the time of donation cannot be ruled out, these donors must not be accepted.

Waiting a period of time following cessation of prophylactic antibiotics for recurrent UTI and following completion of vaccination, to ensure its success, is advised.

The kidneys and bladder are located at either end of the body’s urinary system; this anatomical relationship means that pyelonephritis is most often due to ascending urinary tract infection.

Reason for change:
New entry incorporating ‘Infection’ section of the former ‘Kidney and bladder disease’ entry, with addition of guidance relating to urinary antiseptic therapy and vaccination to prevent urinary tract infections.
Version details:

WB-DSG Edition 203 Release 81 (11 August 2026)