Urinary microbiota is associated to clinicopathological features in benign prostatic hyperplasia

AbstractBackground the urinary microbiota of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), however, little is known about urinary microbiota correlations with clinical clinicopathological parameters associated with BPH. Here, we investigate associations between the urinary microbiota and clinical parameters of patients with BPH undergoing surgery. Methods Forty-one patients with BPH undergoing surgery were recruited from two medical centers. Catheterized urine specimens were collected and the microbiota was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Patients were segregated into two groups according to each clinical parameter and differences in urinary microbiota diversity and composition were evaluated. Results Higher prostate weight and PSA levels were associated with higher alpha-diversity in the urinary microbiota of BPH patients. At the specific-microbe level, we found that the greater the prostatic weight, the lower the relative abundance ofStreptococcus, while the greater the PSA levels, the higher the abundance ofLactobacillus. Treatment with 5-α-reductase inhibitor was associated with overall urinary microbiota composition, in part due to a higher abundance ofCorynebacteriumandAnaerococcusin this group. Conclusions We demonstrated that the urinary microbiota of BPH patients is associated with clinicopathological features, highlighting a possible role of urinary microbes in the BPH clinical course.