Oxalobacter formigenes and kidney stones
My interest in my microbiome piqued when I got my first kidney stone at age 52. I figured I didn't have a genetic disposition to kidney stones since I would have had them much earlier in my life. In terms of demographics; kidney stone prevalence increases with age until age 70, then declines and is higher in men than women and in whites than blacks [1]. So I met the demographic profile of a middle-aged white guy with kidney stones, but what in me changed to make me susceptible to kidney stones? My diet was consistent, perhaps something changed in my gut. So I searched on kidney stones and microbiome. Up to 80% of kidney stones are predominantly composed of calcium oxalate (CaOx). - of which mine was. Kaufman et al. observed a strong inverse association between colonization with O. formigenes and recurrent CaOx renal stones, with a 70% reduction in overall risk [2]. They also go on to say that the prevalence of O. formigenes was related to the use of antibiotics, to which t
