The Urinary Tract Microbiome in Older Women Exhibits Host Genetic and Environmental Influences

The urinary microbiome is a relatively unexplored niche that varies with gender. Urinary microbes, especially in aging populations, are associated with morbidity. We present a large-scale study exploring factors defining urinary microbiome composition in community-dwelling older adult women without clinically active infection. Using 1,600 twins, we estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to microbiome variation. The...