To evaluate the effect of the infection and the obstruction of urinary tract on renal parenchyma, we developed a model of ascending urinary infection in mice with partial unilateral obstructive uropathy.

Six week-old CBA/J mice were operated on to perform a right partial ureteral obstruction and challenged transurethrally with Escherichia coli CFT073 (high virulent strain) or E. coli Mez (low virulent strain). Level of infection of urine and kidneys, score of inflammation and fibrosis of kidneys, and kidney weight ratio (KWR) in the short and long term were studied.

At short-term (72 hours) experimentation, partial ureteral obstruction does not influence the level of kidney infection in terms of bacterial count, and the score of inflammation regardless of whether a virulent or low virulent strain was used. At long-term (42 days) experimentation, E. coli Mez was eliminated from all mice kidneys, but CFT073 persisted in almost all; obstruction did not influence the level of kidney infection with CFT073 but a significant difference of KWR and the inflammation and fibrosis score between obstructed and unobstructed kidneys was found (P = .0078; P = .036, respectively). Although the E. coli Mez strain did not persist in renal parenchyma, severe damage of the renal parenchyma was observed.

The proposed model is similar to the obstructive uropathy in children in which ureteral obstruction is present before the onset of infection. The association of obstruction and urinary infection impairs kidney growth and favors the occurrence of renal damage.