Dormant Microbes in Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is an inflammatory disease of the urinary bladder that has no known etiology. A microbial association with this disease has not been supported since routine cultures of urine from IC patients are usually negative. However, we have demonstrated the presence of bacterial 16S rRNA genes in bladder biopsies from 29% of patients with IC, but not from control patients with other urological diseases. The ability to identify the presence of bacterial DNA in these patients was accomplished using a sensitive and specific nested PCR method capable of amplifying 16S rRNA genes from a wide variety of bacterial genera. Cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified from bladder tissue of IC patients showed that these genes were derived from genera representing Gram-negative bacteria. In addition to the molecular data, a novel finding of 0.22 micron. filterable forms has been isolated in culture from the biopsy tissue of 14 of 14 IC patients and from 1 of 15 controls. The forms contain nucleic acids and resemble cell wall-deficient bacteria in gross morphology; however, their swirled myelin-like ultrastructure is unusual and suggests a heretofore unclassified microbe. These results demonstrate for the first time an association of Gram-negative bacterial DNA and filterable forms with affected bladder tissue from patients with IC.