Deposition of glomerular fibrin in the rabbit after infusion with endotoxin.

Abstract

A WIDESPREAD deposition of fibrin in the renal glomeruli with subsequent necrosis of the renal cortex can be produced by two injections of endotoxin separated by 24 h. This mechanism of elucidation is called the (generalized) Sanarelli–Shwartzman phenomenon (SSP) (refs. 1 and 2). The single injection of endotoxin results in the deposition of glomerular fibrin in only 10 per cent3 and necrosis of the renal cortex in 0.8 per cent4 of the animals. In the pregnant rabbit at term, disseminated glomerular coagulation can be produced with great regularity by a single injection5, whereas fibrin thrombi in other organs, such as the heart and lung, can frequently be found after one injection6. It is believed that the time lag for deposition of fibrin in the kidney after two injections of endotoxin is essential for the SSP.