Scanning Electron Microscopy of the glomerulus in diabetic BB/S wistar rats

Renal damage secondary to diabetes seems to be related to the severity and duration of the diabetes. In streptozotocin and alloxan-induced diabetic rats, renal disease is found only in those rats that have glycosuria and then only after the glycosuria has been present for many months. In these animals, the longer they have glycosuria, the more severe the renal damage. In our colony of BB/S Wistar rats, animals that are going. to become frankly diabetic demonstrate clinical diabetes before they begin spilling glucose in their urine. After glycosuria develops, the condition of the animals worsens; yet, the glucose tolerance tests(GTT) remain essentially unchanged. The purpose of this investigation was to study the animals' kidneys to discover if lesions are present at the onset of glycosuria and how severe the lesions are. Rats of our BB/S Wistar strain were used the day they developed glycosuria. Similarly aged non-diabetic animals were used as controls.