Induction of glomerular lesions in the kidneys of mice infected with vero toxin-producing Escherichia coli by lipopolysaccharide injection.

Lipopolysaccharide was injected into germ-free mice after they had been infected with Vero toxin-producing Escherichia coli. Microscopic examination of the kidneys of these mice showed an increased number of mesangial cells and a vacancy in the glomerular capillary lumen. A significant elevation in the expression level of interferon (IFN)-gamma in the kidney may have played a key role in the induction of glomerular lesions, because the administration of neutralizing antibody to IFN-gamma markedly alleviated such lesions.