Identification and Quantification of DNA Viral Populations in Human Urine Using Next-Generation Sequencing Approaches

The human urinary virome is comprised by diverse communities of both eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophages. Identification and quantification of human urinary viruses was limited to PCR-based and culture methods. Detection of viruses in human urine has long been associated with disease, but advances in next-generation sequencing have shown that it harbors robust viral communities. Human urinary viral communities are mainly comprised by bacteriophages and Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) that remain to be characterized in association with health and diverse urinary disease states. In the present chapter, the methods to identify and quantify DNA viral populations in human urine using next-generation sequencing are described.