[4] Exceptions may include pregnant women, those who have had a recent kidney transplant, young children with significant vesicoureteral reflux, and those undergoing surgery of the urinary tract.

[6][7] There is an increased risk of asymptomatic or symptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy due to physiological changes that occur in a pregnant woman which promotes unwanted pathogen growth in the urinary tract.

[8][10] It is more common in women, in the elderly, in residents of long-term care facilities, and in people with diabetes, bladder catheters, and spinal cord injuries.

[12] There is an association between asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women with low birth weight, preterm delivery, cystitis, infection of the newborn and fetus death.

[16] The threshold for women displaying UTI symptoms can be as low as 100 colony forming units of a single species per millilitre.

However, bacteria below a threshold of 10000 colony forming units per millilitre are usually reported as "no growth" by clinical laboratories.

[19] Although controversial, many countries including the United States recommend a one time screening for bacteriuria during mid pregnancy.

[8] There is no indication to treat asymptomatic bacteriuria in diabetics, renal transplant recipients, and in those with spinal cord injuries.

[23] The overuse of antibiotics to treat asymptomatic bacteriuria has many adverse effects[24] such as an increased risk of diarrhea, the spread of antimicrobial resistance, and infection due to Clostridioides difficile.