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Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports
Published in: Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports 1/2016

01-03-2016 | Overactive Bladder (U Lee, Section Editor)

The Bladder Is Not Sterile: History and Current Discoveries on the Urinary Microbiome

Authors: Krystal Thomas-White, Megan Brady, Alan J. Wolfe, Elizabeth R. Mueller

Published in: Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

In the human body, there are 10 bacterial cells for every one human cell. This fact highlights the importance of the National Institutes of Health’s initiative to map the human microbiome. The Human Microbiome Project was the first large-scale mapping of the human microbiome of five body sites: GI tract, mouth, vagina, skin, and nasal cavity using culture-independent methods. The bladder was not originally tested because it was considered to be sterile and there were complexities regarding sample collection. Over the last couple years, our team along with other investigators has shown that a urinary microbiome exists and for most individuals, it plays a protective role.
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Metadata
Title
The Bladder Is Not Sterile: History and Current Discoveries on the Urinary Microbiome
Authors
Krystal Thomas-White
Megan Brady
Alan J. Wolfe
Elizabeth R. Mueller
Publication date
01-03-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports / Issue 1/2016
Print ISSN: 1931-7212
Electronic ISSN: 1931-7220
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-016-0345-8

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