The bacterial microbiota in first-void urine from men with and without idiopathic urethritis

Non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) is a common syndrome in men. NGU may have several causes, but many cases are caused by sexually transmitted infections that may also cause complications in their female partners. Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium are the most common causes of NGU, but in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018, Vol.13 (7), p.e0201380-e0201380
Main Authors: Frølund, Maria, Wikström, Arne, Lidbrink, Peter, Abu Al-Soud, Waleed, Larsen, Niels, Harder, Christoffer Bugge, Sørensen, Søren Johannes, Jensen, Jørgen Skov, Ahrens, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenoviruses
Antibiotics
Bacteria
Bacteriology
Biology and Life Sciences
Chlamydia
Chlamydia trachomatis
Cluster analysis
Clustering
Complications
Consent
Control methods
Culture techniques
Ethics
Genera
Herpes simplex
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Medicine and Health Sciences
Men
Microbiota
Microscopy
Mycoplasma genitalium
Non-specific urethritis
Parasitology
Patients
Research and Analysis Methods
Sexually transmitted diseases
Soil sciences
Urethra
Urethritis
Urine
Viruses
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Summary:Non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) is a common syndrome in men. NGU may have several causes, but many cases are caused by sexually transmitted infections that may also cause complications in their female partners. Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium are the most common causes of NGU, but in up to 35% of the cases, none of the known viral or bacterial causes are found. Traditionally, pathogens have been detected using various culture techniques that may not identify all species present in the urethra. To address this, we used culture-independent methods for analysis of the male urethral microbiota. This case-control study analysed first void urine samples, collected at STD clinics in Stockholm, Sweden from men with idiopathic urethritis (IU), i.e. negative for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Trichomonas vaginalis, adenovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 1 and -2 together with samples from men without urethritis. Forty-six controls and 39 idiopathic urethritis patients were analysed. The microbiota was highly diverse: None of the 302 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) found in negative controls and IU patients were found in all of the samples or even in all of the samples in one group. More than 50% of the OTUs were only found in one or two of the total of 85 samples. Still the most dominant 1/6 of the genera constituted 79% of the sequences. Hierarchical clustering in a heatmap showed no specific clustering of patients or controls. A number of IU patient samples were dominated by a single genus previously related to urethritis (Gardnerella, Haemophilus, Ureaplasma). The male urethra contain a very diverse composition of bacteria, even in healthy controls. NGU may be caused by a number of different bacteria but more studies including a higher number of samples are needed for elucidation of the role of each species.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0201380