ABSTRACT
The urinary bladder harbors a community of microbes termed the urobiome, which remains understudied. In this study, we present the urobiome of healthy infant males from samples collected by transurethral catheterization. Using a combination of expanded culture and amplicon sequencing, we identify several common bacterial genera that can be further investigated for their effects on urinary health across the lifespan. Many genera were shared between all samples suggesting a consistent urobiome composition among this cohort. We note that, for this cohort, early life exposures including mode of birth (vaginal vs. Caesarean section), or prior antibiotic exposure did not influence urobiome composition. In addition, we report the isolation of culturable bacteria from the bladders of these infant males, including Actinotignum spp., a bacterial genus that has been associated with urinary tract infection in older male adults. Herein, we isolate and sequence 9 distinct strains of Actinotignum spp. enhancing the genomic knowledge surrounding this genus and opening avenues for delineating the microbiology of this urobiome constituent. Furthermore, we present a framework for using the combination of culture-dependent and sequencing methodologies for uncovering mechanisms in the urobiome.
Raw sequencing data can be accessed under BioProject PRJNA912725. Supplementary Table 5 includes all sample accession information. Metadata for both sequencing runs is available within this repository.
The R Markdown document "Supplementary_Methods" includes all R code used for processing and analyzing 16S rRNA sequencing data.
To cite the paper, please use: Reasoner, S.A., Flores, V., Van Horn, G. et al. Survey of the infant male urobiome and genomic analysis of Actinotignum spp.. npj Biofilms Microbiomes 9, 91 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-023-00457-6