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Urinary Microbiota of Healthy Prepubescent Girls and Boys-A Pilot Study
Yulia L Naboka1, Mikhail I Kogan2, Johannes M Mayr3
1Department of Microbiology and Virology No. 1, Rostov State Medical University, 344022 Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
Insights
The urinary microbiota of healthy children shows distinct differences between boys and girls, with girls having higher microbial diversity. This study highlights the complex interplay of microorganisms in children's urine.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatrics
- Urology
Background:
- The urinary microbiota in healthy children is understudied.
- Differences between male and female urinary microbiomes are largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the urinary microbiota composition and diversity in healthy prepubescent girls and boys.
- To investigate potential sex-based differences in urinary microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of aerobic and anaerobic microbiota from morning urine samples of healthy children aged 4-10 years.
- Identification of microorganisms using morphotintorial properties and chromogenic media.
- Assessment of alpha- and beta-diversity of urinary microbial communities.
Main Results:
- Urinary microbial communities in children commonly comprised two to six components.
- Boys' urine showed a higher prevalence of four-component microbial combinations (p < 0.05).
- Girls' urine exhibited a higher prevalence of seven-component combinations (p < 0.05) and an overrepresentation of Enterococcus spp. (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Healthy prepubescent children harbor diverse aerobic-anaerobic urinary microbiota.
- While overall diversity did not differ significantly, girls showed a trend towards higher alpha-diversity.
- Distinct differences in microbial taxa prevalence were observed between boys and girls, suggesting sex-specific urinary microbiome characteristics.
Background:
The urinary microbiota of healthy children has rarely been studied, and potential differences between boys and girls have not been addressed. Thus, this study aimed to compare the urinary microbiota of healthy prepubescent girls and boys.
Methods:
We included healthy children aged between 4 and 10 years who were free of functional or organic urinary tract diseases and had no history of urinary tract infection. We collected the mean portion of morning urine during natural micturition and determined aerobic and anaerobic microbiota using HiCrome™ chromogenic growth media. We identified microorganisms on the basis of morphotinctural properties and analyzed α- and β-diversity of microorganisms isolated from the urine of boys and girls.
Results:
Mean age of the children was 6.1 ± 3.2 years. In general, four-component (28.1%) as well as two-component (15.6%), three-component (15.6%), and six-component (12.5%) combinations of microorganisms prevailed in the urine of children. The urine of boys exhibited four-component combinations significantly more often than that of girls (p ˂ 0.05), while the urine of girls contained seven-component microbial combinations significantly more often than that of boys (p ˂ 0.05). Comparison of multicomponent combinations of microorganisms in boys and girls revealed an overrepresentation of Enterococcus spp. in girls (p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a trend towards higher microbial α-diversity in the urine of girls, but the difference between girls and boys was not significant.
Conclusions:
The urine of healthy prepubescent children contained various aerobic-anaerobic combinations of microorganisms. Their diversity in the urine of girls and boys did not differ significantly. However, the level of α-diversity of microorganisms was higher in girls than in boys. We noted differences in the prevalence of certain taxa of microorganisms in the urine of boys and girls. Our study showed a close functional relationship between aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms detected in the urine of children in more than half of the cases.
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