RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Vaginal microbiota affects urinary tract infection risk in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: a pilot cross-sectional study from Thailand
JF Lupus Science & Medicine
JO Lupus Sci Med
FD Lupus Foundation of America
SP e000551
DO 10.1136/lupus-2021-000551
VO 8
IS 1
A1 Porpon Rotjanapan
A1 Aunyakant Jaroensukrungruang
A1 Prapaporn Pisitkun
A1 Pintip Ngamjanyaporn
A1 Jittima Manonai
A1 Vorthon Sawaswong
A1 Prangwalai Chanchaem
A1 Sunchai Payungporn
YR 2021
UL http://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000551.abstract
AB 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 2019–2020. Patients’ 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.