The effect of treatment of the associated disease on the development of amyloidosis in the experimental animal.

Thirty-five golden hamsters infected with Leishmania donovani were treated with Pentostam and followed up to determine the effect of treatment on the development of secondary amyloidosis. Seventy untreated golden hamsters infected with L. donovani were followed up as controls to determine the pattern of development of secondary amyloidosis. Amyloid developed in all animals treated and untreated. The treatment significantly prolonged the survival time, but did not inhibit the development of renal amyloid in animals shown by biopsy to be free from renal amyloid at the time of treatment. When amyloid was present in kidney at the time of treatment it progressed invariably to renal failure.