Glomerulonephritis and Staphylococcal aureus infections

Three patients with visceral Staphylococcal aureus infections, but no evidence of endocarditis, developed signs of acute glomerulonephritis. Renal biopsy in two patients showed a mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and mesangial deposits containing IgA, IgG, and C₃; autopsy material in a third patient showed acute diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis. The clinical setting and pathologic findings of the authors patients with visceral Staphylococcal infection and glomerulonephritis are different than those found in the better-understood syndromes of glomerulonephritis associated with endocarditis or infected ventriculojugular shunts. The authors patients provide support for the contention that some cases of primary or idiopathic glomerulonephritis may be caused by Staphylococcal infections.