Evidence of gentamicin nephrotoxicity in patients with renal allografts.

Renal damage was assessed by measuring urinary enzyme excretion in 180 patients with renal allografts. Thirty-six of these patients were studied during 53 courses of treatment with antimicrobial agents which was the only antimicrobial agent which was associated with an increase in urinary enzyme activity. There was usually also evidence of reduced renal function. Renal morphological changes similar to those produced by gentamicin in rats were observed in human allograft biopsy specimens obtained during gentamicin treatment.