Kymora Scotland, MD, PhD, member of the CAIRIBU Urobiome Research Interest Group (U-RIG), led a team that discovered bacteria are present in calcium oxalate kidney stones – the most common type of kidney stone. About 1 in 11 people will get a kidney stone in their lifetime, with risk factors including family history or low fluid intake. Previously, only struvite stones have been shown to contain bacteria, while calcium oxalate stones have been considered “noninfectious” and not associated with a bacterial presence.
Dr. Scotland, an Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of California, Los Angeles says “this breakthrough challenges the long-held assumption that these stones develop solely through chemical and physical processes and instead shows that bacteria can reside inside stones and may actively contribute to their formation.”
The researchers say further studies are needed to assess how bacteria may be involved in the growth of non-calcium stones. Ultimately, these findings suggest a potential therapeutic target for the treatment and prevention of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Dr. Scotland is a co-senior author of the manuscript, titled “Intercalated bacterial biofilms are intrinsic internal components of calcium-based kidney stones,” published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Henry Schreiber, PhD, CAIRIBU U-RIG member and O’Brien Center Opportunity Pool awardee, is a co-author on the manuscript. Dr. Scotland and Dr. Schreiber’s work underscores the strength of CAIRIBU investigator collaborations and introduces a novel direction for the treatment of kidney stones.