Examining the Relationship between Urinary Pathogens, Antibiotic Exposure and Urolithiasis
Abstract
Urinary stone disease is a highly prevalent urological condition; however, the pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests a relationship between urinary tract infections, antibiotic exposure and the development of urolithiasis. In this project, we utilized a dietary Drosophila melanogaster model and a calcium oxalate crystal adhesion assay to further investigate the impact of a urinary pathogen and antibiotics on calcium stone formation. We demonstrated that both a non-urease producing strain of Escherichia coli and the antibiotics, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, increased calcium stone formation. In addition, our preliminary work suggests that biomineralization agents such as osteopontin and zinc appear to be implicated in this process. Further research is required to better delineate the mechanisms involved and to translate these findings into potential therapeutic and prevention strategies for human stone disease including antibiotic stewardship, anti-oxidants, probiotics, and microbiome modification.