Acute nephritis in calf kidneys

Calf kidneys presenting with lobular (lumpy) anatomy. The kidneys are swollen with red-pink discolouration of the cortical zones that is typical of acute nephritis (kidney inflammation). This is often secondary to a bacterial infection in young farmed animals. There are several types of acute nephritis, which can lead to inflammation in different areas of the kidneys including the spaces between the kidney lobules (interstitial nephritis), ureters (pyelonephritis, and which is usually caused by E.Coli) and the glomeruli (glomerulonephritis), the clusters of capillaries acting as the filters of the kidney.