Role of coxsackievirus B4 in the pathogenesis of acute glomerulonephritis

Coxsackievirus B(4) was isolated from the throat, nose, blood, stools and urine of a 9-year-old boy with acute glomerulonephritis and a pneumonitis. Neutralization test showed a greater than fourfold rise in the antibody titre to coxsackievirus B(4). The antistreptolysin O titre was elevated, but the complement component was within the normal range. The importance of the coxsackievirus B(4) in the pathogenesis of acute glomerulonephritis is clearly indicated; however, further investigations are needed to understand the details of the virus-kidney interaction.