title: Gut-inhabiting bacterium Oxalobacter formigenes: role in calcium oxalate urolithiasis.
abstract: Oxalate plays a crucial role in the formation of most renal stones. Oxalate is a common constituent of most diets and a byproduct of metabolism, and if it is not sufficiently degraded, it may accumulate. In humans, gut bacteria degrade 70 to 100 mg of oxalate per day. Oxalobacter formigenes is a gram-negative, obligately anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium with an absolute requirement for oxalate. Although not present in the gut at birth, it quickly colonizes most children, and there is epidemiologic evidence that its absence is a risk factor in calcium oxalate stone formation. We review the metabolism, genetics, and identification of this organism and its possible therapeutic role in recurrent stone-forming patients.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Urology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. rmittal@sgpgi.ac.in
authors.forename: Rama Devi
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.forename: Ritu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002129:Calcium Oxalate / Q000032:analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D010070:Oxalates / Q000378:metabolism; D020624:Oxalobacter formigenes / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D010070:Oxalates; D002129:Calcium Oxalate