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MrPlow writes:

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Plumbing the depths of women's bladders may shower researchers with viral gold.

In a wee survey, Loyola University Chicago researchers found the sac-like organ brimming with never-before-seen viruses that can kill and manipulate bacteria. Their findings, published this week in the Journal of Bacteriology, offer a first-pass catalogue of the rich diversity of bacteria-infecting viruses—aka "phages" or "bacteriophages"—in the bladder microbiome. The researchers suggest that further studies into the streaming viral content could one day lead to phage-based methods to void bacterial infections and identify disorders.

"The thought that there's not bacteria in urine is false," Catherine Putonti told Ars straight away. Putonti, a bioinformatics researcher and microbiologist at Loyola, is the leading author of the study. "The big picture is that there are a lot of viruses that are part of these bacterial communities as well."

With an early hold on what viruses are present in the bladder, the researchers are excited for more urinary deep dives to see if there's a core "bladder phageome" and what those viruses might be doing—or be able to do. "Now we can start asking questions," Putonti said.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/streaming-viral-content-womens-bladders-gush-with-cryptic-killer-viruses/

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