Structural and ultrastructural study of glomerular changes in African swine fever.

The pathological effect of haemorrhagic fever viruses on the kidney have not been clearly documented. This study reports glomerular lesions in African swine fever. In the acute form of the disease there was an acute diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis, which was believed to be related to virus replication in circulating monocytes and glomerular mesangial cells, and to the presence of abundant circulating cell debris resulting from viral replication at other sites. In the subacute form, the proliferative mesangial glomerulonephritis observed may have been associated with systemic immune-mediated phenomena, and with subendothelial and mesangial deposits of immunoglobulins and complement components.