Rheumatic diseases are a collection of inflammatory, often autoimmune, conditions that affect joints, muscles, bones, and many other organs. Although the exact etiology of rheumatic disease is largely unknown, both genetic and environmental factors are involved. Among various environmental factors, infection has long been considered as an important risk and trigger for rheumatic disease. For example, systemic lupus erythematosus was associated with the infection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). However, it is also believed that some infections may provide protection on autoimmune rheumatic diseases, named hygiene hypothesis. This theory is supported by the epidemiological and clinical data that the increase of autoimmune diseases including rheumatic disease and allergy in the Western countries is accompanied by the decrease of infections over the past decades. Despite recent advances in dissecting the connection between rheumatic disease and infectious disease, the exact role of infections in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases is not fully understood.

This Research Topic aims at illustrating the interaction between rheumatic disease and infectious disease.

In this Research Topic, we encourage the submission of clinical, translational, and basic research aiming to investigate the interaction between rheumatic disease and infections. Both original research articles and reviews focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics are welcome:
1. Clinical characters, risk factors, prognosis, treatment of rheumatic disease when combined with infections.
2. Prospective and perspective clinical studies evaluating the infection risks of anti-rheumatic medications on infections.
3. Susceptibility of patients with rheumatic disease to infections.
4. Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in the pathogenesis of rheumatic disease.
5. Role of microbiota in the development of rheumatic disease.
6. Metabolites of pathogenic microorganisms in rheumatic disease.
7. Crosstalk between microbe, immune system, and other organs affected in rheumatic disease.
8. New technologies and treatments in this field.

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