Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the most
common cause of acute renal failure in early childhood, and is
also characterised by hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia.
Most HUS cases occur as a consequence of intestinal infections with
Shiga toxin(Stx)-producing Escherichia coli strains. Renal
endothelial injury induced by Stx is the primary pathogenetic event
in HUS.
- Diagnosis and pathogenesis of HUS: set up of new methods for
detecting Stx in the blood stream of HUS patients; study of the
kinetics of Stx in patients during the natural course of HUS; study
of the role of neutrophils in the delivery of Stx from the gut to
the kidney and study of the relationship between the amounts of Stx
in blood and the clinical features of HUS patients.
- Molecular mechanism of action of Stx in endothelial cells:
study of the DNA damage and of the target genes, study of the
effect of Stx on the repair of DNA, study of the up-regulating
effect of Stx on pro-inflammatory genes.
