Urinary Tract Virome as an Urgent Target for Metagenomics
Agata Salabura,
Aleksander Łuniewski,
Maria Kucharska,
Denis Myszak,
Barbara Dołęgowska,
Kazimierz Ciechanowski,
Karolina Kędzierska-Kapuza,
Bartosz Wojciuk
Affiliations
Agata Salabura
Clinic of Nephrology, Internal Medicine and Transplantation, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-123 Szczecin, Poland
Aleksander Łuniewski
Department of Immunological Diagnostics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-123 Szczecin, Poland
Maria Kucharska
Department of Immunological Diagnostics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-123 Szczecin, Poland
Denis Myszak
Department of Immunological Diagnostics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-123 Szczecin, Poland
Barbara Dołęgowska
Department of Immunological Diagnostics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-123 Szczecin, Poland
Kazimierz Ciechanowski
Clinic of Nephrology, Internal Medicine and Transplantation, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-123 Szczecin, Poland
Karolina Kędzierska-Kapuza
Center of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, Department of Gastroenterological Surgery and Transplantology, 137 Wołoska St., 02-507 Warsaw, Poland
Bartosz Wojciuk
Department of Immunological Diagnostics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 70-123 Szczecin, Poland
Virome—a part of a microbiome—is a term used to describe all viruses found in the specific organism or system. Recently, as new technologies emerged, it has been confirmed that kidneys and the lower urinary tract are colonized not only by the previously described viruses, but also completely novel species. Viruses can be both pathogenic and protective, as they often carry important virulence factors, while at the same time represent anti-inflammatory functions. This paper aims to show and compare the viral species detected in various, specific clinical conditions. Because of the unique characteristics of viruses, new sequencing techniques and databases had to be developed to conduct research on the urinary virome. The dynamic development of research on the human microbiome suggests that the detailed studies on the urinary system virome will provide answers to many questions about the risk factors for civilization, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
