Investigation of Bladder Microbiota in Female Patients with Overactive Bladder Syndrome

With the demonstration that the bladder is not sterile, the relationship between bladder microbiota and urinary system diseases has begun to be investigated. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship between overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome and bladder microbiota.

A total of 20 OAB syndrome patients and 20 controls were included in the study. Urine samples were taken with a transurethral catheter. We developed a modified expanded quantitative urine culture method and inoculated them into anaerobic blood culture bottles and thioglycolate medium at the bedside. The MALDI-TOF MS system was used for bacterial identification.

Thirty-five bacteria were identified in the patient group and 30 in the control group. As a result of culture, 16 different genera and 29 different types of bacteria were identified. Staphylococcus (25.7%) was the most common bacterial genus in the patient group, followed by Streptococcus (17.1%) and Lactobacillus (14.3%). Lactobacillus (26.7%) was the most frequently detected bacterial genus in the control group, followed by Streptococcus (13.3%) and Enterococcus (13.3%). The rate of Staphylococcus epidermidis in the patient group (22.9%) was found to be significantly higher than in the control group (0%) (P = .006). In the patient group, Lactobacillus gasseri's incidence (2.9%) was found to be significantly lower than in the control group (20.0%) (P = .042).

Our study shows that patients with OAB have a significantly different microbiota compared to the control group.