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Subject Area

Internal Medicine

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the changes in Lactobacilli and Lactobacillus reuteri among a cohort of Egyptian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and how these changes affect the state of SLE disease activity. Background SLE is a heterogeneous chronic autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs with a variety of clinical manifestations. Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been linked to the development or progression of autoimmune disorders. Patients and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 patients with SLE and 30 healthy adults as a control group. Laboratory investigations included antinuclear antibodies, anti-double-stranded DNA, and complement C3 and C4. SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI-2k) was evaluated. Real-time PCR was applied for quantitative assessment of the lactobacillus genus. Results The 40 patients comprised 85% females and 15% males, with a mean age of 28.5 ± 7.78 years and disease duration of 11.68 ± 6.8 months. Patients with SLE showed a significant decrease in the abundance of Lactobacillus compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001), and also L. reuteri showed a significant decrease in patients with SLE (P = 0.030). An inverse but nonsignificant correlation between SLEDAI-2K scores for disease activity and Lactobacillus (r=−0.198; P = 0.220) was detected. Conclusion There was a significant decrease in the abundance of Lactobacilli and L. reuteri in patients with SLE, so supplementation of Lactobacilli might constitute a future therapeutic target. In addition, an inverse but nonsignificant correlation with SLEDAI-2k was found.

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