2025/09/15 by Calvin R. Wei, Zarrin Basharat, Muhammad Osama +3 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Treatments #Gut microbiota and health #Urinary Tract Infections Management
paper · doi:10.2174/0113895575398906250825113635
openalex publication_date 2025/09/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
The urinary tract (UT) was once considered sterile, but now it is known to host a diverse community of microorganisms, known as the urinary microbiome. The collective microbiota is made up of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, necessary for maintaining UT health. This review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the urinary microbiome and clarify its emerging role as a key modulator in both health and a wide spectrum of UT disorders. Dysbiosis within this microbial community has been linked to conditions such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), interstitial cystitis/ bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), urinary incontinence, urolithiasis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and even urinary tract malignancies. Advances in methodologies, such as expanded quantitative urine culture and metagenomics, have provided valuable insights into microbial variability influenced by factors like age, sex, and disease conditions. Additionally, this review explores the therapeutic potential of probiotics and bacteriophages, as well as the association of urinary microbiota with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Special emphasis is placed on translational relevance, including emerging microbiome-targeted therapies and personalized interventions for UTIs. Ethical considerations allied with UT microbiome research, such as data privacy, informed consent, and equitable access to emerging therapies, are also discussed. Despite substantial progress, challenges such as methodological heterogeneity, a lack of longitudinal data, and unresolved causal relationships persist. The study concludes by identifying key knowledge gaps and proposing future directions for multidisciplinary research to advance therapeutic innovation in urological health.