Could a harmless gut bug help prevent kidney stones?
NCT ID NCT03752684
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether taking a harmless bacterium called Oxalobacter formigenes could help it live in the gut and reduce the amount of oxalate passed in urine. High urine oxalate is a major risk factor for calcium oxalate kidney stones. Twenty-six healthy adults who did not already have the bacterium in their gut took a live preparation of it and followed a controlled diet. The goal was to see if the bacterium could lower urinary oxalate levels.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Oxalobacter formigenes (a harmless gut bacterium)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a natural way to lower oxalate levels and reduce the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study in healthy adults, not patients with kidney stones. It only looked at short-term changes in urine oxalate, so it is unclear if the effect lasts or prevents stones.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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26 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2018
- Finished
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May 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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19 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Good health as judged from a medical history and reported medications * Not colonized with O. formigenes Exclusion Criteria: * History of any hepatic, renal, bowel or endocrine disease or any other condition that may influence the absorption, transport or urinary excretion of ions, which will compromise the interpretation of results * colonized with O. formigenes * abnormal urine chemistries or blood metabolic profiles
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States
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