Salmonella bacteraemia occurring concurrently with the first presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus

There is increasing recognition of the association between Salmonella infections and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, these infections have usually occurred in patients with established SLE who were receiving immunosuppressive therapy. We describe two young women with previously undiagnosed SLE who developed Salmonella bacteraemia. Neither of these patients had received immunosuppressive drugs. From these and two previously reported patients, it may be concluded that SLE per se is likely to be associated with a defect in host defences to Salmonella bacteria.