Long considered mere mineral deposits linked to a chemical imbalance in urine, the most common kidney stones may actually harbor… life. A team of American researchers has demonstrated the presence of living bacteria within calcium oxalate stones, organized in layers and sometimes protected by biofilms, at the very heart of the crystalline structure.
A suspected biological mechanism in the formation
This observation overturns the prevailing idea that these calculi form solely through physical and chemical phenomena. Scientists hypothesize that these microorganisms could actively participate in crystal growth, perhaps even intervening in the earliest stages of their formation, by playing a role in the "nucleation" that initiates the stone.
Researchers also suggest a possible explanation for a common phenomenon in urology: recurrence. By taking refuge in the stones, bacteria could evade treatment, persist for a long time, and then recolonize the urinary tract, promoting new infections and the reformation of stones in some patients.
This discovery now paves the way for novel therapeutic approaches, including treatments targeting the microbial environment of kidney stones, even using non-antibiotic methods. This is a major opportunity for a very common condition, affecting approximately one in eleven people during their lifetime.
