Redefining Healthy Urine: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Metagenomic Study of People With and Without Bladder...

We used the PathoScope platform to perform species level analyses of publicly available, 16S rRNA pyrosequenced, asymptomatic urine data to determine relationships between microbiomes, and clinical and functional phenotypes.

We reanalyzed previously reported, cross-sectionally acquired urine samples from 47 asymptomatic subjects, including 23 controls and 24 subjects with neuropathic bladder. Urine was originally collected by the usual method of bladder drainage and analyzed by urinalysis, culture and pyrosequencing. Urinalysis and culture values were stratified as leukocyte esterase (0, or 1 or greater), nitrite (positive or negative), pyuria (fewer than 5, or 5 or greater white blood cells per high power field), cloudy urine (positive or negative) and urine culture bacterial growth (less than 50,000, or 50,000 or greater cfu/ml). PathoScope was used for next generation sequencing alignment, bacterial classification and microbial diversity characterization.

Subjects with neuropathic bladder were significantly more likely to have positive leukocyte esterase and pyuria, cloudy urine and bacterial growth. Of 47 samples 23 showed bacterial growth on culture and in all samples bacteria were identified by pyrosequencing. Nonneuropathic bladder urine microbiomes included greater proportions of Lactobacillus crispatus in females and Staphylococcus haemolyticus in males. The Lactobacillus community differed significantly among females depending on bladder function. Irrespective of gender the subjects with neuropathic bladder had greater proportions of Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumonia. In 4 subjects with neuropathic bladder Actinobaculum sp. was detected by sequencing and by PathoScope but not by cultivation and in all cases it was associated with pyuria.

Using PathoScope plus 16S pyrosequencing we were able to identify unique, phenotype dependent, species level microbes. Novel findings included absent L. crispatus in the urine of females with neuropathic bladder and the presence of Actinobaculum only in subjects with neuropathic bladder.