An immunopathologic study of interstitial nephritis associated with experimental canine adenovirus infection.

The localisation of canine adenovirus in the renal tubules induces a marked cellular response in the interstitium. A number of mechanisms appear to be involved in the genesis of the lesions. Direct lytic damage to tubular epithelial cells by the virus is probably augmented by immunological factors. The production of local anti-viral antibody by plasma cells in the vicinity of virus-containing cells may result in the formation of toxic antigen-antibody complexes while the accumulation of large populations of macrophages suggests that cell-mediated hypersensitivity is also operative.