title: Morphological alterations in the kidney of rats with natural and experimental Leptospira infection.
abstract: Leptospirosis is a widespread anthropozoonosis, with a broad array of mammalian reservoirs, occurring as rural endemics, urban outbreaks related to floods, and emergent disease associated with water sports and recreational exposure in developed countries. Rats are the major source of human infection, particularly in urban areas; however few reports have focused on the pathology of leptospirosis in this host. This study reports pathological changes in 60 kidneys from captured wild rats and compares these with changes in the kidney of Wistar rats experimentally infected with Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni strain FIOCRUZ L1-130. A broad range of morphological alterations were detected in the kidneys from captured rats but interstitial nephritis was the only feature reproduced under experimental conditions. The role of interstitial nephritis in the pathogenesis of leptospirosis is reviewed and it is suggested that rats may provide a potential tool for the study of colonization mechanisms and host resistance in acute leptospiral disease.
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém-PA, Brazil. Electronic address: tucun@cpatu.embrapa.br.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tucunduva de Faria
authors.affiliation: Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health, Salvador-BA, Brazil; Federal University of Bahia, Salvador-BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Athanazio
authors.affiliation: Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health, Salvador-BA, Brazil; Federal University of Bahia, Salvador-BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Gonçalves Ramos
authors.affiliation: Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health, Salvador-BA, Brazil; Federal University of Pelotas-RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health, Salvador-BA, Brazil; Federal University of Bahia, Salvador-BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Gonçalo Moniz Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health, Salvador-BA, Brazil; Division of International Medicine and Infectious Disease, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Ko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D007921:Leptospira interrogans; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D009395:Nephritis, Interstitial / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000473:pathology*