The Microbiome in Benign Renal Tissue and in Renal Cell Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION: The renal bacterial colonization has not been explored so far. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the renal microbiome and to determine differences of the renal microbiome in healthy and tumor-bearing parenchyma. METHODS: Ten biopsies from patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy for renal carcinoma with no history of urinary tract infections within the last 6 months were included in this study. The identification of all microorganisms was done using 16S DNA sequencing. The beta diversity analysis was performed by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity. RESULTS: In all kidney samples, a plethora of microorganisms was found, with significant differences between benign and malignant renal tissue (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that healthy kidney tissue as well as renal cell cancer tissue have a specific microbiome, thus opening new perspectives in renal physiology and tumor pathogenesis.