Glomerular deposition of immune complexes in dogs following natural infection with canine adenovirus.

The renal lesions were studied in eight dogs which had either died as a result of acute canine adenovirus infection (Rubarth's disease) or were in various stages of recovery from the clinical disease. Using immunofluorescence techniques granular deposits of IgG were detected in the glomeruli of six dogs; four of these animals had similar glomerular deposits of canine adenovirus antigen. Eluates obtained from kidney tissue of four dogs were found to contain antiviral antibody. Histologically those animals in which glomerular deposits of IgG and viral antigen were detected showed segmental glomerular hypercellularity. These findings were attributed to the deposition of circulating virus antigen-antibody complexes in the glomeruli.