Experimental pyelonephritis induced by L-forms of Proteus mirabilis in rats.

Pyelonephritis was produced in 75 white rats by applying a 24-hour ligature on the ureter and by intravenous injection of a suspension of 5X10(9) cells of a stable Proteus mirabilis L-form. Pyelonephritis was proved microscopically in 44% of the animals. The revertants of the introduced L-form play an etiological role in the development of the infection. The stability of the pathohistological findings makes this model suitable for the purpose of experimental chemotherapy.