In a multipractice prevalence study of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in primary health care (PHC), with 355 episodes in 302 individuals during one month, 93% of the episodes occurred in females and Escherichia coli was the dominating causative organism (77%). Most episodes of UTI (84%) were acute and associated with lower (75%), upper (5%) or uncharacteristic symptoms (4%) whereas 16% represented bacteriuria discovered by posttreatment controls. Urgency (77%) and dysuria (70%) were the most common symptoms. Loin pain was highly associated with upper UTI (88%) but was reported also in 23% of episodes of lower UTI. Patient's delay differed between PHC centres and patient categories and was surprisingly long, four weeks in nine per cent and on average 8.4 days.