Prolonged renal failure after rifampin.

A 45-year-old man treated for pulmonary tuberculosis with daily drug therapy, including rifampin, developed acute renal failure manifested by ebinophilia, skin rash, and increased serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. The renal failure was marked by a prolonged course and incomplete recovery. Renal biopsy showed tubulointerstitial nephritis with nonspecific glomerular mesangial proliferation. Fluorescence staining showed the presence of IgG, IgA, AgM, and C3 deposits in glomeruli, as well as IgE deposits along the tubules. This report describes a new hazard of rifampin therapy that might have developed, in part, because of coexisting hepatic dysfunction.