Urogenital microbiome, intracellular bacterial communities, and their contribution to urinary tract infections

Abstract

The urinary tract was long considered a sterile environment, but recent studies have revealed the presence of diverse microbial communities in healthy individuals collectively known as the urinary microbiome or urobiome. Although the urobiome has been studied primarily in populations from North America, Europe, and Asia, little is known about its characteristics in Latin America. In this work, we conducted a descriptive analysis of the urobiome of 77 adults, 40 females, and 37 males with and without symptoms of urinary tract infections (UTI) from Uruguay using a strategy that includes expanded quantitative uroculture, 16S rRNA gene sequencing from urine, and intracellular bacterial community evaluation. The microbial profiles revealed a wide diversity in the bacterial community composition, including both Lactobacillus-domi nated and diverse non-Lactobacillus communities. Notably, several genera frequently associated with health or disease, such as Gardnerella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Escherichia, were detected in many samples. We also observed associations between community types and host factors, such as gender, presence of symptoms, and IBC. These findings contribute to expanding our understanding of the human urobiome and highlight the need to consider geographic and cultural diversities when characterizing microbial communities and their implications for health. IMPORTANCE The concept of a sterile urinary tract has been challenged by the discovery of complex microbial communities in urine samples from healthy individu als. Most existing studies on the urinary microbiome focus on populations in the Global North, resulting in limited data from Latin America. Here, we present the first study characterizing the urobiome of an adult Uruguayan population using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. By analyzing associations between bacterial community types and individual metadata, we provide insights into the diversity and structure of urinary microbiota in a previously understudied population. These results broaden the current understanding of the urobiome and emphasize the importance of including diverse populations in microbiome research to achieve a more comprehensive and representa tive view of microbial contributions to health and disease.