Delay in growth and the development of nephritis in rats treated with interferon preparations in the neonatal period

Abstract

Suckling rats were injected for 14 to 17 days with potent rat-cell-culture interferon preparations or various heterologous interferon or control preparations. Only treatment with rat interferon resulted in a delay in growth and maturation of different organs and the subsequent development of an "immune complex" type nephritis. Thus, 38 of 43 rats treated with rat interferon developed a severe glomerulonephritis. Thus, 38 of 43 rats treated with rat interferon developed a severe glomerulonephritis, whereas only 3 of 99 rats in the various control groups had minimal renal lesions. Deposits of IgG and C3 along the glomerular basement membrane were only seen in interferon-treated rats.