Microbiota Ecosystem in Recurrent Cystitis and the Immunological Microenvironment of Urothelium

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) represent one of the most frequent low genital tract diseases in the female population. When UTIs occur with a frequency of at least three times per year or two times in the last six month, we speak of recurrent UTI (rUTI) and up to 70% of women will have rUTI within 1 year. It was previously thought that antibiotic resistance was principally responsible for the recurrence of UTIs, but nowadays new diagnostic technologies have shown the role of microbiota in the pathophysiology of these diseases. Much research has been conducted on the role of gut microbiome in the development of rUTI, while little is known yet about vaginal and urinary microbiome and the possible immunological and microscopical mechanisms through which they trigger symptoms. New discoveries and clinical perspectives are arising, and they all agree that a personalized, multi-modal approach, treating vaginal and urinary dysbiosis, may reduce rUTIs more successfully.