Urine is not sterile

Urine is not sterile, even before it comes out of you and gets contaminated by your skin. Bacteria are present at low levels in the urine of healthy people not suffering from a urinary tract infection, Evann Hilt of Loyola University of Chicago reported May 18 at a conference of the American Society for Microbiology.

The urinary microbiota was shown to contain: a total of 217 bacterial isolates from 77 different genera were isolated from OAB patients, while 66 bacterial isolates from 33 different genera were isolated from control patients. Organisms isolated solely from OAB patient urines included Actinobaculum schaalii, Aerococcus urinae, Arthrobacter cumminsii, and Oligella urethralis; each has been reported to cause UTI.

Researchers are starting to explore what bacteria make up the normal bladder community and whether a change in that community might trigger urinary problems.

Posted by Tim Sandle