O06.6 The urethral microbiota in nongonococcal urethritis

Introduction There is no known aetiology for up to half of all nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) cases. We sought to characterise the bacterial communities in men with (NGU+) and without (NGU-) NGU among men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who have sex with women (MSW), to determine if the urethral microbiota is associated with NGU status. Methods From December 2014 to December 2015, urine samples were collected from 49 MSM (23 NGU+; 26 NGU-) and 48 MSW (21 NGU+; 27 NGU-) attending the Seattle STD Clinic. NGU was defined as urethral symptoms and/or visible discharge, and u003e5 PMNs per high powered field. Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) were detected by transcription mediated amplification (TMA). The urethral microbiota was characterised using broad-range 16S rRNA gene PCR with deep sequencing. Bacterial diversity was calculated using the Shannon index. Results Mean urethral bacterial diversity in NGU+ MSM (0.82) was lower than in NGU- MSM (1.48), Streptococcus (n=7), Corynebacterium (n=5), Haemophilus (n=3), Mycoplasma (n=3), and Lactobacillus iners (n=2). Urethral microbiotas with dominant taxa were more common in NGU+ MSM (95.7%), while NGU+ MSW (61.9%) had microbiotas characterised by the presence of several vaginal bacteria. Among NGU- men, 53.8% MSM and 48.1% MSW had microbiotas with dominant taxa, including Streptococcus (n=19), L. iners (n=5), and Gardnerella vaginalis (n=4). Conclusion The urethral microbiota in NGU is heterogeneous. NGU- MSM had more diverse urethral bacterial communities than NGU+ MSM, and presence of vaginal bacteria in MSW suggests sharing or acquisition from female partners. Future longitudinal studies may help inform if key bacteria predict incident NGU.