Immunobiologic factors in the pathogenesis of renal infection

Animal models of specific diseases have characterized well the cellular and humoral basis of immunity to many infectious diseases. This approach also has allowed conceptual advances to be made in our understanding of the immunobiology of renal infection, and both the local and systemic immune responses to infection have been studied in detail [1]. Experimentally inducedEscherichia coli pyelonephritis has been shown to be associated with a prompt and vigorous immune response, but despite the production of both local and systemic antibody directed against the O antigens of the invading organism, the infection is not eradicated [2].In this review we present the thesis that the vigorous antibody response to renal infection may be inappropriate as a host defense mechanism, and we suggest that a more effective host immune response may be mounted if the balance of the immune response is altered to restore cell-mediated immune function. Recent experiments have shown that the responsiveness of thymus-derived lymphocytes is markedly depressed by a suppressor cell population arising during renal infection. There is experimental evidence that immunomodulation may provide an alternative therapeutic approach to the management of renal infection and other selected infectious diseases. This is discussed