Hansen's disease with lepra reaction presenting with IgA dominant infection related glomerulonephritis.

Various renal abnormalities in leprosy have been described largely in literature but the occurrence of IgA dominant infection related glomerulonephritis in leprosy with type 2 lepra reaction has not been reported so far. We present here a 60-year-old man with a history of leprosy in the past admitted with type 2 lepra reaction, rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis with severe renal failure requiring dialysis and diagnosed to have IgA dominant infection related glomerulonephritis.

Leptospiral antigens (L. interrogans serogroup ictero-haemorrhagiae) in the kidney of experimentally infected guinea pigs and their relation to the pathogenesis of the renal injury.

The search for leptospiral antigens (L. interrogans serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae) was carried out in 24 guinea pigs experimentally inoculated with 1 ml of culture containing 10(7)-10(8) leprospires and sequentially sacrificed from the first until the 6th day of infection. Semiquantitative analysis of histopathological variables comprising kidney interstitium, tubules and glomeruli was done in 1 micron sections of tissue embedded in glycolmetacrylate. Leptospiral antigen (LAg) and its glycolipoprotein (GLP) expression were detected through PAP in paraffin embedded tissue. The mild interstitial involvement of the kidney, manifested chiefly by oedema and focal interstitial nephritis seen at the 4th day, progressed to tubular damage at the 6th day, characterized by either swelling or cytoplasmic acidophilia of epithelial cells with loss of cell cohesion and sloughing of cells into the tubular lumina. Brush border alterations and mitochondrial changes were observed. Endothelial cell injury was noted in the interstitial vessels. LAg expression was parallel to the kidney changes: small deposits of elongated forms of LAg were detected at the 4th day either within the vascular lumen or free in the interstitium. A rise in the antigen expression was observed at the 5th day when it was seen either around tubules or in their walls. LAg was detected inside the tubular lumina at the 6th day of infection when granular LAg and GLP were abundant. This sequence reproduces the pathway of leptospires in the kidney and the crescent amounts of antigens detected toward the end of the experiment, with antigen concentration in cases of major tissue damage suggesting a direct action of the microorganisms and/or their products in the pathogesis of the lesions.

Renal involvement in Mycobacterium leprae infected mice. Histopathological, bacteriological and immunofluorescence study.

Swiss albino mice were inoculated in the footpads with Mycobacterium leprae obtained from untreated lepromatous patient. The kidneys obtained from the animals sacrificed during different periods were processed for histopathology, presence of AFB and immunofluorescence studies. Renal lesions, AFB and immune complex deposits were seen in the infected animals. Such findings have not been studied in great detail in experimental leprosy earlier.

Replication of Mycobacterium leprae in hibernating ground squirrels (Citellus tridecemlineatus).

Subcutaneous injections of 10(6) acid-fast bacteria from human lepromatous tissue to hibernating ground squirrels (Citellus tridecemlineatus) is followed by generalized infection of the animals and spontaneous death. The number of mycobacteria is high in the skin of GS during winter and decreases during summer. Animals surviving the first hibernation period invariably die during the second. The number of microorganism in the visceral organs is low at all times. The system of infected hibernating GS is a valuable model for the experimental study of leprosy.