@article {Rotjanapane000551, author = {Porpon Rotjanapan and Aunyakant Jaroensukrungruang and Prapaporn Pisitkun and Pintip Ngamjanyaporn and Jittima Manonai and Vorthon Sawaswong and Prangwalai Chanchaem and Sunchai Payungporn}, title = {Vaginal microbiota affects urinary tract infection risk in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: a pilot cross-sectional study from Thailand}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, elocation-id = {e000551}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1136/lupus-2021-000551}, publisher = {Archives of Disease in childhood}, abstract = {Objective The risk factors associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in patients with SLE remain uncertain. We evaluated the vaginal microbiota pattern and its potential UTI-associated risk factors.Methods A pilot cross-sectional study of patients with SLE was conducted at Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, during 2019{\textendash}2020. Patients{\textquoteright} demographic data and relevant information were collected. Vaginal microbiota was assessed in all patients and in 10 healthy volunteers.Results Fifty-two patients were enrolled (mean age: 46.1 years). All patients had SLE that was in low disease activity. As per the Simpson_e index, the within-group alpha diversity of the vaginal microbiota was low in the SLE with UTI and SLE receiving trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) prophylaxis groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that TMP-SMX prophylaxis (adjusted OR (AOR), 30.96; 95\% CI 3.63 to 264.11; p=0.002), elevated C3 levels (AOR, 35.33; 95\% CI 1.33 to 936.67; p=0.033) and presence of Veillonella dispar in the vaginal microbiota (AOR, 6.68; 95\% CI 1.27 to 35.07; p=0.025) were associated with UTI.Conclusions The vaginal microbiota diversity differed between patients with lupus with and without UTI, and unnecessary administration of TMP-SMX prophylaxis may affect the alpha diversity of the vaginal microbiota.Data are available in a public, open access repository.}, URL = {https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000551}, eprint = {https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000551.full.pdf}, journal = {Lupus Science \& Medicine} }