The study also showed the misuse of antibiotics in the hospital setting could promote or influence the makeup of the kidney microbiome steering it toward stone promoting bacteria.

The researchers sought to understand how these microbial communities might influence kidney stone formation particularly in light of the growing concerns over antibiotic misuse in hospitals. Using a series of preclinical models and in vitro experiments the team found that the kidney microbiome could either promote or inhibit kidney stone formation. Notably they discovered that Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria a known pathogen can promote the formation of kidney stones while Lactobacillus crispatus a probiotic can prevent stone development.

The investigators suggest that antibiotics can cause dysbiosis where the normal microbial balance is disturbed leading to an environment that promotes kidney stone formation. Dysbiosis was shown to trigger an inflammatory response and increase the presence of pro-lithogenic bacteria like E. coli.

This research firmly moves away from the common belief that the urinary tract is sterile and that the microbial populations found there influence the production of both pro- and anti-kidney stone molecules. Determining which bacteria these different influences could pave the way for the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics to identify the risk of kidney stone formation and methods to treat them.

If the kidney microbiome can influence kidney stones it can likely influence other kidney diseases as well Miller concluded. We are already looking at microbial signatures for other kidney diseases and have even submitted a grant to investigate how certain genetic variants influence the renal microbiome and kidney disease risk in different ethnicities.

Source: https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/topics/patient-care/study-reveals-kidney-microbiomes-role-in-kidney-stone-formation/