infective tubulointerstitial nephritis [L, inficere, to stain, tubulus, tubule, interstitium, space between] , an acute inflammation of the kidneys usually caused by an infection by Escherichia coli or another pyogenic pathogen. The condition is characterized by chills, fever, nausea and vomiting, flank pain, dysuria, proteinuria, and hematuria. The kidney may become enlarged, and portions of the renal cortex may be destroyed. Infection is usually the result of bacterial contamination of a urinary catheter, but it may occur in any condition characterized by urinary stasis.
