[Features of disorders of the gut microbiota in patients with urolithiasis, depending on the severity of symptoms of intestinal indigestion and indicators obtained in laboratory and instrumental assessment].
Sturov N, Popov S, et al. • Terapevticheskii arkhiv • 2026
The gut microbiota of patients with urolithiasis was significantly different from that of healthy volunteers, with statistically significant differences also found between patients with uric acid and oxalate stones.
Key Findings
Results
Patients with urolithiasis showed statistically significant increases in Corynebacterium spp. and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius 18623 compared to healthy volunteers.
Study compared fecal samples from 35 patients with urolithiasis against 31 healthy volunteers (control group).
Gut microbiota composition was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Increases in Corynebacterium spp. and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius 18623 were statistically significant.
These findings were identified through statistical analysis of the obtained data.
Results
Clostridium propionicum (Anaerotignum propionicum) was decreased approximately 7-fold in patients with urolithiasis compared to healthy volunteers.
The reduction was described as an average of 7 times compared to the control group.
This decrease was statistically significant.
The analysis used fecal samples analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
This was one of three key bacterial differences identified between urolithiasis patients and controls.
Results
Patients with oxalate stones had elevated Clostridium perfringens in fecal samples compared to other stone types.
The oxalate stone subgroup comprised n=18 patients.
An increase in the number of Clostridium perfringens was detected in fecal samples of this subgroup.
Stone type was compared within the urolithiasis patient group.
Stone density was assessed using multispiral computed tomography (MSCT) in Hounsfield units (HU).
Results
Patients with uric acid stones had decreased levels of Prevotella bacteria compared to other stone types.
The uric acid stone subgroup comprised n=17 patients.
A decrease in the number of Prevotella bacteria was observed in this subgroup.
Serum uric acid concentration was among the laboratory parameters analyzed in urolithiasis patients.
Statistically significant differences in gut microbiota composition were found between patients with uric acid and oxalate stones.
Results
A negative correlation was found between Propionibacterium spp. abundance in the gut microbiota and both total GSRS score and severity of dyspepsia syndrome in urolithiasis patients.
The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) was used to assess gastrointestinal symptoms.
The correlation was negative, meaning higher Propionibacterium spp. counts were associated with lower (better) GSRS scores and less dyspepsia severity.
Both the total GSRS score and the individual dyspepsia syndrome severity score were assessed.
This finding was specific to the urolithiasis patient group.
Results
The overall gut microbiota composition of patients with urolithiasis was significantly different from that of healthy volunteers.
The study included 35 urolithiasis patients and 31 healthy volunteers.
Gut microbiota analysis was performed on fecal samples using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Multiple bacterial taxa were found to differ significantly between groups.
Additional clinical parameters analyzed included BMI, serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, serum uric acid, and urinary stone density by MSCT.
What This Means
This research suggests that people with kidney stones (urolithiasis) have a distinctly different community of gut bacteria compared to healthy individuals. The study examined stool samples from 35 kidney stone patients and 31 healthy volunteers, finding that kidney stone patients had higher levels of certain bacteria (Corynebacterium spp. and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius) and dramatically lower levels of others (Clostridium propionicum, reduced by about 7 times on average). These differences were statistically significant, indicating this is unlikely to be due to chance.
The research also found that the type of kidney stone a person has appears to be associated with different patterns of gut bacteria. Patients with oxalate stones had elevated levels of Clostridium perfringens in their stool, while those with uric acid stones had reduced levels of Prevotella bacteria. Additionally, lower levels of Propionibacterium bacteria in the gut were associated with worse gastrointestinal symptoms (such as dyspepsia) as measured by a validated symptom questionnaire (GSRS).
This research suggests there may be a meaningful connection between the gut microbiome and kidney stone disease, including differences linked to the specific type of stone. This could have implications for understanding how gut bacteria may contribute to kidney stone formation or be affected by it, and may open avenues for exploring microbiome-targeted approaches in the context of urolithiasis management. However, the study's relatively small sample sizes mean further research would be needed to confirm and expand upon these findings.
Sturov N, Popov S, Kobalava Z, Ivanov Z, Zhukov V. (2026). [Features of disorders of the gut microbiota in patients with urolithiasis, depending on the severity of symptoms of intestinal indigestion and indicators obtained in laboratory and instrumental assessment].. Terapevticheskii arkhiv. https://doi.org/10.26442/00403660.2026.04.203575