The effect of parenteral iron administration on the development of Staphylococcus aureus-induced experimental pyelonephritis in rats.

The first of the three groups of rats was taken as a control and the other two groups were injected with high (15 mg/kg) and low (5 mg/kg) doses of ferric ammonium citrate given intramuscularly twice daily for 5 days. Pyelonephritis was produced in all groups by intravenous inoculation with Staphylococcus aureus. Serum and urine of each rat was collected periodically and their iron content was determined. The severity of pyelonephritis was evaluated by determination of bacterial growth and pathological lesions in kidneys after 10 days of bacterial inoculation. The results showed that parenteral iron administration markedly aggravated pyelonephritis development in rats. But there was no significant difference in the severity of pyelonephritis between rats treated with high or low iron doses.