Assessment of common bacterial isolates and antibiogram pattern among lupus nephritis patients

Background: Lupus nephritis is a manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, defined by several clinical and laboratory characteristics. Aims: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of LN patients based on the biopsy-based LN diagnosis and detection of bacteria in patients with UTI and study role in enhancing autoimmune disease (Lupus Nephritis) , and study of antibiotics susceptibility test (MDR, XDR). Methods: Clinical records for each case of systemic lupus erythematosus that was identified and treated at Al-Sader Medical City in Al-Najaf Province, a specialized center for nephrology, during the period from December 2023 to May 2024. Renal biopsies were done on 60 patients. Sixty urine samples were taken from patients with lupus nephritis, ranging in age from 11 to 70. The obtained bacteria have been submitted to antibiotics susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion method in accordance with the (CLSI, 2024). Results: Class III had the largest prevalence of LN, according to the histopathologic diagnosis; other classes were 15 (25%). Results: A total 60 clinical specimens from urine were obtained from LN patients; however 33 (55%) of specimens gave positive results for bacterial growth versus 27 (45%) specimens showed no bacterial growth. This results demonstrated that there were 84 bacterial isolates from 60 urine samples distributed as follows 33(39.3%) specimens as a Gram positive isolates include Staphylococcus aureus was the most dominate bacteria with 17(51.5%) followed by S. epidermidis 16(48.5%). 24(28.6%) specimens as Gram negative bacteria follow Escherichia coli 11(45.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 7(29.2%), Enterobacter aerogenes 3(12.5%). Conclusion: The present study provides information on lupus nephritis according to the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics. It highlights, the distinctive characteristics of lupus nephritis, including a greater percentage of female infection alone with more severity of clinical manifestations. Detecting bacterial infections in LN patients is crucial for providing appropriate therapy to them. Bacterial infections are very common in these individuals.