INTRODUCTION
Compared to other loci of the human body, the urine microbiome and microbiota remains understudied. Besides, at the present moment, the flow and influence of asymptomatic bacteriuria on the development of various complications of the urinary tract is extremely relevant, especially for pregnant women. There are a number of studies describing the urine microbiota of pregnant women, but most of them study the third trimester of pregnancy, that cannot give a complete analysis of the urine microbiota and its possible changes throughout pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To study the microbiota of a freshly excreted midstream urine of pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A single-center prospective observational cohort study with a sequential enrollment of 19 women was carried out. Inclusion criteria: age of 20—26 years, singleton primary pregnancy ≤12 weeks. A midstream urine sample was collected in a hygienic manner to maximize the prevention of contamination. Bacteriological examination of urine was carried out using standard growth medium in accordance with the Clinical recommendations for bacteriological examination of urine (2014) and additional ones for verification of a wider range of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms.
RESULTS
In all cases, the urine of pregnant and non-pregnant women was not sterile and contained various compositions of aerobic-anaerobic microorganisms. In total, 25 taxa of microorganisms were verified: aerobic (AE) microorganisms were represented by 15 taxa, anaerobic (ANA) — by 10 taxa. In both groups, E faecalis (68.4% and 47.4%, respectively), Corynebacterium spp. (47.4% and 63.2%) and S epidermidis (36.8% and 31.6%) prevailed, and among ANA — Lactobacillus spp. (89.5% and 84.2%) and Eubacterium spp. (73.7% and 68.4%) prevailed. Along with the established relative identity of the bacterial spectrum of the microbiota, significant differences (p<0.05) between the frequency indicators in the groups were registered only for Peptococcus spp. (15.8 and 47.4%) and Propionibacterium spp. (5.3% and 31.6%). However, it should be noted that pregnant women had the frequency indicator of Candida spp. 3 times higher than non-pregnant women.
CONCLUSIONS
The urine microbiota of pregnant women in the first trimester is similar, but not identical to the microbiota of young healthy sexually active women. Differences are significant only for two anaerobes. However, insignificant differences concern both E. coli and representatives of gram-positive microbiota, in particular, some species of cocci and yeast-like fungi of the genus Candida. The significance of the differences is to be studied.
