Cystitis, pyelonephritis, and urolithiasis in rats accidentally fed a diet deficient in vitamin A

Female Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 100; age, 3 wk) were fed diets that included a vitamin premix and either albumin or milk powder. Rats fed the albumin diet gained weight more slowly than did the other group. Between 19 and 28 wk of being fed the albumin diet, 12 rats died of bacterial cystitis and pyelonephritis. In addition, 2 more rats from the same dietary group developed peritonitis after ovariohysterectomy. Examination of the 44 rats fed the albumin diet that completed the 34-wk experiment revealed pyelonephritis in 68%, cystitis in 66%, urolithiasis in 27%, and nephrolithiasis in 5%. Squamous metaplasia of the transitional epithelium was present in all 44 rats, although other epithelia were histologically normal. Vitamin A deficiency was diagnosed after analyses of blood and liver samples. Analysis of the vitamin premix revealed approximately 25% of the expected amount of vitamin A. Because the milk powder contained sufficient vitamin A, deficiency did not occur in rats fed the milk powder diet. The major consequences of vitamin A deficiency in the rats were squamous metaplasia, bacterial infection, and calculus formation within the urinary tract. This report illustrates the importance of careful formulation and storage of vitamin premixes used in experimental diets. Vitamin A deficiency should be considered in rats with decreased weight gain and urinary tract disease even if ocular lesions are not present.