Characterization of the urinary microbiota of elderly women and the effects of type 2 diabetes and urinary tract infections on the microbiota.

Fengping Liu,Qing Yang,Lanjuan Li,Zongxin Ling,Wei Wang,Li Zheng,Ping Jiang,Yonghong Xiao

doi:10.18632/oncotarget.21126

Fengping Liu, Qing Yang + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.21126

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Abstract

Evidence shows that urine has complex bacterial profiles with considerable variation between individuals. Aging and age-related conditions can lead to the changes to the composition of urine, which means that the available nutrition for bacteria in the bladder changes with age. We explored the characteristics of the urinary microbiota of elderly women and whether these are associated with age-related conditions such as diabetes and urinary tract infections. An elderly and a non-elderly cohort of women were included. Magnetic beads were used to isolate bacterial genomic DNA, which was analyzed based on the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. There were significant differences between the elderly and non-elderly regarding thirteen genera of bacteria. For example, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus was dramatically reduced in the elderly compared with the non-elderly; it also decreased with age in the elderly cohort and it was not correlated with urine pH. The relative abundance of Peptococcus increased with age in the elderly while the abundance of Bifidobacteria decreased with age. The abundance of Escherichia coli was the same in the two cohorts, and it increased with water intake and was not associated with urinary tract infection events. Higher levels of Lactobacillus (including Lactobacillus iners) in the elderly were associated with diabetes, and lower levels of Peptoniphilus and Dialister were correlated with asymptomatic bacteriuria. The urinary microbiota of women is affected by ageing, type 2 diabetes mellitus and asymtomatic bacteriuria.

Highlights

The number of people in the world aged 60 or over is projected to grow by 56% [1]
We explored the characteristics of the urinary microbiota of elderly women and whether these are associated with agerelated conditions such as diabetes and urinary tract infections
Higher levels of Lactobacillus in the elderly were associated with diabetes, and lower levels of Peptoniphilus and Dialister were correlated with asymptomatic bacteriuria

Summary

Introduction

The sex ratio in 2015 among those aged 60 or over was 86 men per 100 women [1]. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) is one of the most commonly reported infections in elder adults [2]. Several urinary defense mechanisms exist to combat uropathogens, such as low pH, extremes of osmolality, and high concentrations of organic acids, can become impaired with age [3]. The level of free glycogen in post-menopausal women is lower than that in pre-menopausal women [5], and levels of free glycogen are associated with a vaginal microbiota that is dominated by Lactobacillus [6] and a low vaginal pH [7], which are both protective against uropathogens [6, 8]

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