Abstract
Uropathogenic bacteria are widely distributed in the environment and urinary tract infection is implicated in kidney stone disease. Here, we report on a urease negative bacterium Kalamiella piersonii (strain YU22) isolated from the urine of a struvite stone (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) patient. The closest species, K. piersonii IIIF1SW-P2T was reported from International Space Station samples. However, there are no earlier reports on its human association. Using whole genome and experimental analysis, its involvement in urinary tract colonization and struvite crystallization was explored. The strain YU22 showed many virulence factors that are needed for host cell invasion and colonization including cell adhesion factors, swimming and swarming motilities, biofilm and siderophore among others. In vitro infection studies in HEK-293T cells demonstrated the host cell attachment and killing. It was able to utilize amino acids as sole carbon source and showed growth in synthetic and healthy urine establishing metabolic adaptation to urinary tract. Increased pH and availability of ammonium ions from amino acid breakdown promoted struvite crystallization. The results from this study support the involvement of urease negative uropathogen in the struvite lithogenesis. Further studies on other isolates of K. peirsonii are warranted to assess its health risks.
Highlights
Kidney stone disease is one of the most common urological problems worldwide, and stone formation process involves crystal nucleation, aggregation and/or secondary nucleation, fixation within the kidney or renal collecting system and growth [1,2]
The bacterium YU22 was isolated from the urine of a male patient with symptomatic kidney stone disease
The mineral composition of the surgically removed kidney stone was identified based on the FT-IR as pure struvite
Summary
Kidney stone disease is one of the most common urological problems worldwide, and stone formation process involves crystal nucleation, aggregation and/or secondary nucleation, fixation within the kidney or renal collecting system and growth [1,2]. Super-saturation of urine, urinary pH, ionic strength, specific gravity, concentration of solutes of urine, and infection are the major factors contributing to stone formation. Among the different types of kidney stones, magnesium ammonium. Pathogens 2020, 9, 711 phosphate hexahydrate (MgNH4 PO4 ·6H2 O) known as struvite (7–15% of all stone types) is mainly associated with UTI by urease positive bacteria such as, Proteus, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Providencia [3]. Data on the bacteriology of struvite stone cultures and urine cultures agree largely on the presence of infection agents [5,6]. Patients with kidney stone disease are more likely to have urinary tract infection (UTI) due to the invasion of uropathogens and their colonization in bladder or ascending infection to kidney
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