Experimental acute glomerulonephritis induced in the rabbit with a specific streptococcal antigen.
FITC-labelled IgG obtained from patients convalescing from acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) stains glomeruli of patients with early APSGN. We previously reported a streptococcal antigen (preabsorbing antigen (PA-Ag)) that preabsorbed the stain out of sera from the convalescent patients and thus prevented glomerular staining. To confirm the nephritogenicity of PA-Ag, we administered up to 40 mg of this antigen to rabbits for 8 days and observed them for up to 9 weeks. Immunohistological analysis showed diffuse and global glomerular staining for C3 without notable staining for gamma-globulin. Light microscopic examinations revealed slight to moderate proliferative glomerulonephritis with exudative change. Control rabbits, which received similar doses of bovine serum albumin, did not show significant staining for C3. A transient and significant decrease in CH50 was observed from weeks 3 to 7 (9.7 +/- 0.3 U/ml at week 3; normal range 12.9 +/- 0.6 U/ml). This experimental model showed a resemblance to immunological and immunohistological features of APSGN in humans. Although the precise mechanisms are yet to be determined, complement activation by PA-Ag seems to hold a key position in this model and in the human disease.
Yoshizawa
N
N
Department of Public Health, National Defence Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan.
Oshima
S
S
Takeuchi
A
A
Kondo
S
S
Oda
T
T
Shimizu
J
J
Nishiyama
J
J
Ishida
A
A
Nakabayashi
I
I
Tazawa
K
K
Sakurai
Y
Y
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000276:immunology*
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial