CAPD-related peritonitis due to Salmonella enteritidis in a patient with SLE

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are prone to various infections, often associated with high mortality. Salmonella species are a rare cause of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) peritonitis, but patients with lupus are susceptible to infection caused by Salmonella species. A 47-year-old woman who had systemic lupus erythematosus with end-stage renal disease and was undergoing CAPD presented with fever, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and turbid dialysate effluent. The effluent culture yielded Salmonella enteritidis. Although she was administered antibiotics to which the organism was susceptible in vitro, peritonitis was not cured. Her clinical condition stabilized after removal of the Tenckhoff catheter and prolonged antibiotic use. In Salmonella-related CAPD peritonitis, early catheter removal may be necessary to achieve complete treatment.