You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023PD19-08 THE URINARY FUNGAL MICROBIOME IN THOSE WITH OVERACTIVE BLADDER IS LESS ABUNDANT IN MALASSEZIA AND MORE ABUNDANT IN ASPERGILLUS RELATIVE TO HEALTHY CONTROLS Glenn Werneburg, Daniel Hettel, Madison Lyon, Ava Adler, Peace Orji, Suruchi Ramanujan, Jacqueline Zillioux, Bradley Gill, Howard Goldman, Sandip Vasavada, and Aaron Miller Glenn WerneburgGlenn Werneburg More articles by this author , Daniel HettelDaniel Hettel More articles by this author , Madison LyonMadison Lyon More articles by this author , Ava AdlerAva Adler More articles by this author , Peace OrjiPeace Orji More articles by this author , Suruchi RamanujanSuruchi Ramanujan More articles by this author , Jacqueline ZilliouxJacqueline Zillioux More articles by this author , Bradley GillBradley Gill More articles by this author , Howard GoldmanHoward Goldman More articles by this author , Sandip VasavadaSandip Vasavada More articles by this author , and Aaron MillerAaron Miller More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003285.08AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The urinary tract harbors its own microbiota, but fungi composition remains poorly characterized. Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common urologic diagnosis, with predominant symptoms being urinary urgency and frequency. We sought to investigate the urinary fungal microbiome of the overactive bladder population and compare that with healthy controls. We hypothesized that the population with OAB would harbor unique patterns of fungi relative to healthy controls. Understanding the fungi associated with OAB could open new avenues toward the investigation of fungi in disease manifestation and treatment response. METHODS: Female patients age 18 and over with overactive bladder by AUA/SUFU criteria were included, as were a group of control adult female patients without urologic diagnoses. Participants provided a clean catch urine specimen. Samples were subjected to next-generation sequencing using ITS primers to capture fungii, and fungal diversity was determined. Diversity and taxonomic profiles were compared between groups by two-tailed t-tests and PERMANOVA. RESULTS: 46 patients with OAB and 32 healthy controls were included. The OAB group median age was 65.7 (IQR 14.3), and the healthy control group median age was 60.4 (IQR 38.6) and. Fungi were detected in all urine samples. The predominant phylum was Ascomycota in overactive bladder patients and Basidiomycota in healthy controls. Malassezia taxa was less (12% OAB, 18% other, p<0.05) abundant in the overactive bladder group and Aspergillus was more abundant in the OAB group (14% OAB versus 7% healthy, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The urinary fungal microbiome, or “mycobiome” differed significantly between the selected population with OAB and a healthy control population. Ascomycota was the predominant phylum. Malassezia was less abundant in those with OAB and Aspergillus more abundant. Additional study is needed to further delineate the relationship between the fungal microbiome and OAB, whether it may be a cause or effect of the OAB symptom complex, and whether it can be modulated to improve OAB treatment. Source of Funding: N/A © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e580 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Glenn Werneburg More articles by this author Daniel Hettel More articles by this author Madison Lyon More articles by this author Ava Adler More articles by this author Peace Orji More articles by this author Suruchi Ramanujan More articles by this author Jacqueline Zillioux More articles by this author Bradley Gill More articles by this author Howard Goldman More articles by this author Sandip Vasavada More articles by this author Aaron Miller More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...