Clinicopathologic features of young and old sphha/sphha mice. Mutants with congenital hemolytic anemia.

A colony of mice with congenital hemolytic anemia, sphha/sphha, were evaluated over a 3-year period. Prominent findings included decreased survivability, reticulocytosis, increased peripheral blood leukocytes, extramedullary hematopoiesis in liver and spleen, lymphoid hyperplasia and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Older (12 to 21 months) anemic animals had elevated serum levels of IgG1 and IgA. There was deposition of C3, IgG, IgM, and IgA in renal glomeruli of both control and anemic mice, but deposition of IgM and IgA was more prominent and widely distributed in anemic animals and correlated with mesangial expansion and the presence of electron dense deposits in the mesangium and in glomerular capillary walls. Prominent renal tubular hemosiderosis was noted in young and old anemic mice. The relation between the hemolytic anemia and glomerular disease is unclear but these mice may be an animal model useful for exploration of changes attendant with chronic hemolysis and evaluation of renal disease that accompanies hemolytic anemia.