Our Knowledge of the Relationship of the Urinary Microbiome and Overactive Bladder: Past, Present, Future

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review covers the latest research on the urinary microbiome and its relationship to overactive bladder. We sought to understand what urinary microbiome characteristics may be associated with overactive bladder and what research has been done to come to these conclusions.Recent FindingsThe latest research has gone beyond simply characterizing the microbial environment of urine and has transcended deeper into relationships between microbes and lower urinary tract disorders, specifically overactive bladder. Advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have largely made this possible. Multiple studies have found alterations in the urinary microbiome in patients with overactive bladder and/or urgency urinary incontinence.SummaryEarly research indicates a lack ofLactobacillus species as well as an increase inGardnerella andStaphylococcus species may be linked to overactive bladder. Certain uropathogens such asEscherichia coli andGardnerella vaginalis may produce neuroexcitatory molecules that induce bladder contraction. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings and find targetable mechanistic links between these microbes and disease.
Source: Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports - Category: Urology & Nephrology Source Type: research