[Glomerulopathies associated with parasitoses]

Glomerular diseases linked to parasitic infections are frequent in tropical areas: the nephrotic syndrome of African children is often related to malarial infections and hepato-splenic schistosomiasis may be associated with glomerulonephritis. Histological studies indicate that the same parasite can induce a spectrum of glomerular lesions. Immune complexes play a major role in the pathogenesis of these nephropathies but their precise composition is largely unknown. Experimental studies suggest that some of these complexes could be formed by immunoglobulin interactions related to the perturbations induced by the parasite within the immune system.